


Astralbound

by Brightwing



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M, Reincarnation, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-02-11 14:47:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 68,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12937551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brightwing/pseuds/Brightwing
Summary: When the time comes for Noctis to forge a covenant with Titan, Gladio does it instead, becoming an Astralbound: a servant who is linked in both body and soul to an Astral. In return, they gain incredible powers to use however they wish.Now Noctis has a new problem to add to his ever growing list of troubles, anguish, and minor inconveniences:His friends won't stop selling themselves to gods.





	1. Earthstrider

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this is a combination of several ideas and inspirational sources. The first is the mobile game Puzzle and Dragons (which has a pretty cozy relationship with Final Fantasy) and their concept of Dragonbounds, individuals who sacrifice their bodies and souls to powerful dragons in order to obtain power. The rest of it comes from my own desires to explore magic, history, and the Astrals themselves within Final Fantasy XV which is a setting that's both rich and shallow in terms of setting and lore.
> 
> This story will loosely follow the game's plot, but have some noticeable differences as well as veering off in a completely different direction at one point or another.

"What do you want from me!?" Noctis yelled at the hulking giant before him.

"The Oracle has awoken me," Titan replied, voice loud and booming across the Disc of Cauthess. Gladiolus fought the urge to cover his ears from the sheer volume of it. It was like the sound of an earthquake, the sound of fissures opening up in the earth and shaking all life to their very cores. The Astral strained slightly, adjusting the meteor he carried on his back. "She has asked me to lend you my aid, and so I have summoned you here. Before I can do that, you must prove yourself to truly be the Chosen King as the rituals of old demand. Pass my test and I will pledge my loyalty to you. Show me your unwavering strength. Prepare yourself, for the trial begins now!" And with that, the mighty Landforger formed a fist with his left hand and took a swing at Noctis.

"What the f-" Noctis' cursing was cut off as he dove to the side to avoid being smashed against the crater wall. "What's the big deal!?"

Titan withdrew his arm and Gladiolus, who had been by Noctis at the time, rushed over to help the prince to his feet. "He wants you to fight him. Weren't you listening!?"

"Of course I was listening!" Noctis snapped as the two of them ran to avoid an open handed chop from the deity. "All he said was some weird garbled noises!"

Gladiolus frowned, because that couldn't possibly be true. Titan's words were loud and clear, perfectly articulate with no "weird garbled noises" to be heard. However, there was no time to argue this as Titan was already rearing back to take another swing at them. He pushed Noctis to get him moving. "Come on, let's get to the bottom. We can meet up with Prompto and Iggy and figure out what what we're gonna do." There was no way the two of them could fight Titan on the narrow pathways on the crater's walls. They were easy targets there and would have a hard time attacking the Astral unless they wanted to wait and hack at his arm every time he threw a punch at them.

Noctis struggled with the descent. The combination of his recent splitting headaches, being separated from their friends, and now Titan's test were proving to be a bit too much for him to handle. Gladiolus spurred him on, using words that were perhaps a bit too harsh. It was not that he was unsympathetic, it was that now was the absolute worst time for Noctis to get into one of his moods. They were stuck in a blistering hot crater with a god that was trying to squish them flat. Noctis throwing a tantrum was the absolute last thing they needed. He would put a hand on his charge's back and push him along the winding and treacherous path they found themselves on.

A phone call came in, Ignis warning them that the Empire was sending magitek troopers, an entire fighting force of them, to swarm the location because apparently luck had decided that things weren't exciting enough. Fortunately for them, they did catch a small break in the form of the troopers being too preoccupied with Titan to pay too much attention to them, making it easy to dispatch small groups of them at a time.

When Titan crumbles the earth beneath their feet, Gladiolus and Noctis get separated as Noctis plummeted down towards the bottom of the crater, saving himself from an untimely death by warping himself towards the ground. Gladiolus swore and raced to find a way to get to him, but the paths ended there and he would have to climb down himself. Rock climbing was usually an enjoyable activity for him, but it's far less enjoyable when Noctis' life was dependent on it.

The process was long and slow. Too long and too slow and Gladiolus nearly slipped several times when the ground beneath his hands and feet shook or when Noctis yelled out. He couldn't see what was going on, having to keep his eyes on the cliff face to find hand and foot holds, but it sounded as if Noctis was fighting Titan properly, although he couldn't, for the life of him, imagine how Noctis was actually going to _win_. Noctis was by no means a poor fighter. Despite Gladiolus' usual pestering of him, he was exceedingly talented and skilled. But how does one human, even one with the power of the Lucis Caelum bloodline, even one who was designated as "Chosen," defeat an actual god?

But perhaps more pressingly, how was Noctis even supposed to survive being attacked by said actual god?

He couldn't see how it was possible. Noctis was in trouble of dying. Actually dying, and here he was climbing down a rocky cliff face. He should be the one down there fighting Titan. Not Noctis.

"Gladio!" called a familiar voice.

A few feet below him stood Ignis and Prompto, having found their way down somehow. Gladiolus let go of the wall, dropping down to meet them below.

"What's going on?" Prompto asked, unable to take his eyes off Noctis as the prince phased and warped around to avoid getting crushed beneath either Titan's fists or his feet. "What the hell's happening? Titan called him here to kill him?"

"It's a test," Gladiolus said. "Titan wants to see if he's worthy."

"Worthy of what!?"

"Of his help."

Ignis cut in, taking his eyes off the prince to look at Gladiolus. "And how do you know this?"

"Because Titan said so?" Gladiolus supplied.

"You can speak god?" Prompto asked. "Because all I heard was gibberish."

"I have to agree with Prompto," Ignis added. "I'm not sure how you got anything intelligible out of Titan's words."

Gladiolus wasn't sure how they were able to get anything but clear words out of Titan's all encompassing voice. "Forget it. It's not important. We have to get to Noct."

The three of them were so close to the bottom now that they decided to speed up and be less cautious going down, making riskier moves like leaping down to lower ledges in the name of speed. Prompto nearly twisted an ankle when he landed awkwardly and was back on his feet in seconds, although Ignis insisted on giving him a potion to dull the pain and mend any possible damage his muscles may have incurred.

They reached Noctis just in time, as the prince was panting with the exhaustion of having to avoid Titan's attempted punches and stomps.

"How are we supposed to _beat_ him!?" the prince demanded as he dove out of the way of an incoming slap from the giant. He was covered in cuts and scrapes from brushes with the rocky ground and Gladiolus knew that their time was limited. Although he really didn't like the idea of running away, retreat was looking like a better and better option by the second.

He couldn't tell if it helped or hurt when magitek troopers marched by them, carrying large weapons that he had never seen before. They looked like gigantic guns with glowing red spear tips on the end. The troopers took their positions near them and all around them, aiming their strange weapons upward at the Astral. An unknown signal was given and the troopers began to fire, the spear tips lauching from the guns and embedding themselves into Titan's body. It was only then Gladiolus realized they were some kind of harpoon gun, but certainly not for doing any kind of fishing.

"Are they trying to _kill_ Titan!?" Prompto gasped in shock. Not too long ago, something like that would have been thought not only impossible, but incomprehensible. Trying to slay an Astral was like attempting to kill Mother Nature: to attack Titan would be like trying to wage war with the very earth beneath their feet. But the Niflheim Empire had managed it. A decade ago, they slew Shiva, the Frostbearer, leading the lands of Niflheim to be doomed to be trapped in an eternal blizzard.

To think that the Empire would be so foolish as to try such a thing again, and who knew what would happen if they succeeded.

Titan didn't seem to care about the weapons that had embedded themselves into his body. He would occasionally stop to rip one out or swipe at a platoon of magitek troopers, but his focus was still squarely on Noctis and his retainers.

Ignis was the one who came up with the plan to bombard the Landforger with every Blizzara they had. They waited for the right moment, for Titan to slam his arm down onto the ground. He missed, but the very earth shook with the force, nearly sending them tumbling over. But this was their chance, and with somewhat shaky aim and from less than ideal positions, they threw the flasks of magic with every ounce of strength they had in their arms. What seemed like a long shot actually worked and Titan's arm froze solid before shattering under a flurry of frantic, combined attacks.

The Astral drew back, giving a roar of surprise and pain. The Niflheim forces became more aggressive, aiming more weapons at Titan and basically completely ignoring the wanted prince and his three companions.

"They're really gonna kill him!" Prompto yelled. "They're gonna kill Titan!"

Because apparently the Empire didn't learn their lesson from the _last_ time they killed a god. Or maybe they didn't care because this god was on Lucian soil, not Niflheim. Gladiolus glared upward at Titan, who was seemingly now starting to be concerned with the magitek troopers pelting it with an endless barrage of weaponry. "Hey, Titan!" he snapped, yelling as loudly as he could. "Did we pass your stupid test yet?"

As if noticing him for the first time, Titan looked downward at the group of four tiny humans below. "You...I know you."

"Do you now?" Gladiolus glowered back at him. "That's great. Real great. Now answer my question!"

"Wait," Prompto whispered to Noctis and Ignis. "Can Gladio like, _actually_ understand and talk to Titan?"

"It...certainly seems that way," Ignis said, sounding incredibly unsure of himself. He looked to Gladiolus and then to Titan, the two of them staring each other down and momentarily oblivious to anything else going on around them. "But I thought only the Oracle was supposed to be able to communicate with the gods."

"I would recognize that soul anywhere," Titan said, red eyes falling squarely on Gladiolus. "Atlas, it has been over two thousand years."

"Look," Gladiolus growled. "I don't know what you're talking about, but tell us whether we passed or not."

"You have passed," Titan confirmed. "The covenant shall be forged."

One look at Noctis, however, told Gladiolus that the prince was tired and injured, having not escaped the trial unscathed. "Wait, will this hurt him? In case you haven't noticed, he's not in any state to be making any covenants, whatever the hell those are."

Noctis tried to say something, probably to protest that he was _fine,_ but could only hiss in pain from an injury in his side where Titan's fingers had clipped him. Instantly, Ignis reached out to steady him. The sound of Noctis' pain made Gladiolus wince.

"Then are you interested in forging the covenant in his place?"

Gladiolus paused, any other further words he had completely forgotten. The idea of Noctis making some kind of pact with the gods was already plenty mind bending on its own. But him? He was just a Shield, meant to protect Noctis from harm and possibly die for him. He watched Titan with wary amber eyes and a deep frown on his face as he instinctively moved to put himself between the giant and his prince. "What do you mean?"

"You possess a very old soul," Titan explained, except it was not an explanation at all. It was, in Gladiolus' opinion, pretty shitty for an explanation. "One that has existed since antiquity. Two thousand years ago, that soul forged a covenant with me, and because you are that soul reborn, you have that option as well. Accept, and immense magic and power will be yours to command."

"And what do you get out of it?"

"Your service, and a closer connection to this world and the human race. It is unlikely it will interfere with the life you already lead. We Astrals do not ask for much, for what could we possibly want that we do not already have?"

Perhaps, under normal circumstances, Gladiolus would have said no. There was simply too much unknown about this. But he was standing in the middle of a crater, facing down a god. The man he was sworn to protect was in distress and they were surrounded by Imperial forces that were trying to murder Titan, which was more likely than not going to devastate the countryside, if Shiva's death was any indication. And if they accomplished that, there was little doubt that the literal army of troopers would turn their sights on them next.

"Fine," he growled. "Let's do this thing."

Titan smiled, even as the Empire continued to fire upon it. "What is your name?"

"Gladiolus Amicitia," Gladiolus glowered, unconsciously standing up straight as if he were in front of King Regis.

"I, Titan, offer you the strength of the land itself. The ground beneath your feet shall be your territory and the gift of magic shall be yours to command. In return, you will be my presence. You will be my connection to this world and those who live within it." The meteor on Titan's shoulders shifted as the Astral stood taller, lifting it off his back and into the air. "To walk the path of Titan is to walk the path of burden. You will carry the heavy weight of responsibility that few others can hope to alleviate or understand. Do you accept?"

"It's not like I don't already do that, so, yeah," Gladiolus answered, and only after the words left his mouth did he realize his entire body was trembling, hands balled into fists and unable to break eye contact with Titan. He couldn't tell what he was feeling. Fear? Anticipation? Excitement? Maybe all of that and more. Soon, he realized it wasn't just his body that was shaking. The ground was as well, dislodging loose earth from the crater walls and knocking countless magitek troopers off their feet. Along with his friends.

Prompto and Ignis pressed themselves closed to Noctis, ready to shield him from whatever was to come next.

"Then, Gladiolus Amicitia, Incarnation of Atlas, I bestow upon you the title of Earthstrider. Be as powerful as a raging quake and as resilient as stone. This strength is yours to use as you see fit."

Before anyone could say anything, the Astral's body began to fade away, dissolving into countless trails of yellow light. The harpoon-like weapons that the Imperial forces had speared Titan with fell to the ground, snapping in half with loud crashes as they hit the unyielding earth.

"I have no idea what just happened," Noctis said as he squeezed out from where he was sandwiched between Ignis and Prompto. "But we have another problem to deal with." He gestured with a sweeping arm to the scores of magitek troopers that surrounded them, seemingly immobile now that their target, Titan, was gone. "Think we can get out of here without them noticing?"

As if on cue, troopers began turning their heads, all looking down directly on them.

"You just _had_ to ask, didn't you!?" Prompto growled.

Even when taking everything else they had done into account, this was, easily, the most dangerous situation they had found themselves in. They were at the bottom of a deep crater surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs and were quickly catching the attention of every Imperial in the area. They would need a miracle to get out of this one alive.

A miracle, or perhaps divine intervention.

Ever since accepting Titan's deal, Gladiolus had been silent and still, until this moment when he moved his arms, feeling as if he had been frozen in place and had only just thawed. He, too, looked around and wondered if this was the end for them. Capture or execution by the Empire was now imminent, and that would mean he had failed in his duty as Noctis' Shield. This couldn't be where everything ended.

"Use your gifts," Titan's voice echoed, but it didn't seem to be coming from anywhere. It had just rung in his head like the chiming of a bell. "Be stalwart and don't falter."

It was as if a switch was flipped and suddenly, Gladiolus was keenly aware of just what kind of power he had been given. He could feel immense strength starting from the bottom of his feet where the soles of his shoes touched the ground where it then spread to the rest of his body like a fountain of power. It was almost too much. It felt as if he couldn't contain it and that it threatened to burst from his body.

But it did not. It was a vast amount of power. He felt as if it was power that spanned across the entirety of the planet. No, that wasn't quite right. This was the power of the planet itself, every facet of it from the tallest mountain to the tiniest grain of sand offering him what strength it had. It threatened to boil over, but never did, staying within the confines of his mortal body, but begging to be channeled and used.

So he obliged. Gladiolus lifted an arm and was surprised to see his skin had changed hue, to a brown that was the same shade as fresh clay. White markings he recognized as identical to Titan's covered his lower arms, and he could only assume that they appeared elsewhere on his body as well. For a second, he wished there was a mirror nearby so he could see what he could look like.

But vanity would have to wait, for there was a more pressing issue at hand. Gladiolus took a step forward and he could feel the earth shift beneath his feet. The nearest squad of magitek troopers raised their guns and aimed at him, but he took another step and the ground beneath them became unsteady, knocking them over. As they struggled to get up, he turned his attention to the next group, raising a hand. Spikes made of rock erupted from beneath them, spearing the unfortunate troopers cleanly.

More squads of magitek troopers began to mobilize at the same time, aiming their weapons at him and Gladiolus suddenly found himself trying to decide whether he should attack the troopers or focus on defending his friends instead. He was about to make a decision when the ground suddenly shook, this time not of his own doing. Small cracks in the ground opened up, hot magma beginning to spill forth from them.

Great. Just what they needed. The earth, which had up until now been their ally, was betraying them.

 _Thanks a lot, Titan,_ he thought bitterly.

However, the magitek troopers lowered their weapons and began to abandon the area, returning to their countless dropships. Some unfortunate soldiers got caught by the fissures; others couldn't quite escape the magma and were totally silent as they were engulfed by the burning molten earth. As the dropships began to lift off, one lone one began to lower into the center of the crater and Gladiolus ran back to his friends, ready to protect them from whatever was going to come out.

The dropship descended lower and lower until it was just a few mere feet off the ground. The hatch opened to reveal not more magitek troopers, but Ardyn, the mysterious and definitely suspicious man that had granted them access to the Disc of Cauthess to begin with.

"Hello!" he greeted cheerfully, eyes closed and a hand in the air giving a lazy wave. "I never properly introduced myself, did I? The name's Izunia. Ardyn Izunia."

Beside him, Gladiolus could see Ignis' face twist first into surprise, then in anger. He didn't really understand why until Ignis identified the man as the Niflheim High Chancellor. Still, there seemed to be more than just Ardyn's true identity as a high ranking official of the Niflheim Empire behind his friend's expression, but even after years of knowing him, there were things about Ignis that Gladiolus knew he would never be able to understand.

Ardyn's eyes fell on him and he felt a chill go down his spine.

"Well! What do we have here?" Ardyn asked, the smile on his face growing wider. "My goodness! An Astralbound! Never thought I'd see the day I'd come face-to-face with one! Oh, but I suppose this will have to wait. As you can see, things have gotten a bit violent around here. I'm here to rescue you, you see. Hop on in and we'll fly away to safety. Although if you'd rather stay here to be buried among the rubble, that's fine as well."

A moment passed and the uproar around them only seemed to grow louder. Finally, Ignis let out a frustrated sound as he turned to Noctis. "We have no choice."

One by one they jumped into the dropship, Prompto pointing out they were leaving the Regalia behind as they did, but Ardyn told them it was impossible to go back and pick it up. It was too dangerous and Ardyn claimed he was already going a bit rogue helping them out.

"Come now," Ardyn said to Gladiolus once they had reached a safe altitude. "No need to keep using your power. You're safe now."

Using his power? Gladiolus wondered for a moment how he turned this new power of his _off_ but the answer came to him naturally, as if it were something he already knew. All he needed to do was stop using Titan's power, which he did without knowing how he did it. His skin returned to its normal color and the white markings on his arms disappeared.

"Uh, big guy? You still got some on your face," Prompto said, using both of his index fingers to point at his cheeks, just below his eyes. "White lines right here."

"I'm afraid those are permanent," Ardyn said. "Think of them as official marks that designates you as the one bound to Titan. The Titan Astralbound, if you will."

"You keep using that word," Ignis said as he checked Noctis over for injuries. "Would you care explaining what it means?"

Ardyn laughed. "Ah, yes, of course. Pardon me. This isn't something the average person would know, would it? Only scholars dedicated to the study of the Astrals like myself would know about it. Astralbounds are mortals that have sold their bodies and souls to a particular Astral in return for various gifts, the ability to use natural magic being one of them. In return, the Astral becomes linked to them, but what they get out of that link depends on the Astral in question and their personal desires and motivations. The first Astralbounds existed thousands of years ago and it's said their souls reincarnate continuously throughout history. Should that soul and their associated Astral meet once again, they can choose to contract again for that particular lifetime."

"In other words, Gladio is now Titan's servant," Ignis translated. "And Titan has gifted him with the ability to use magic."

"Among other things," Ardyn added. "I'm sure your friend here will learn more about his new abilities soon enough."

"Hey," Noctis interjected, pulling his arm away from an annoyed Ignis. "Is this gonna get in the way of you being my Shield?"

In response, Gladiolus shook his head. "Titan said it won't. The only thing he seems to really want out of this is to be closer to humans."

"So he says," Noctis muttered just loud enough for everyone present to hear. This earned him a snort from Gladiolus.

"What, jealous?"

"As if," Noctis shot back, rolling his eyes. "I just want to know if you're still going to be able to do your job or if I need to replace you with Iris." However, his expression and the crossed arms told a different story. It was practically screaming _I don't care! Not at all! Look how much I don't care!_ "But fine, whatever, _excuse me_ for being a bit worried that now you've got a god living in your head or however this works."

"I don't think he actually lives in me, Noct," Gladiols said. "He just talks to me."

"Oh so he's just a voice in your head. That's _totally_ different."

Titan's voice echoed in Gladiolus' head. " _This_ is the Chosen King?"

"Not now, Titan," Gladiolus mumbled through gritted teeth.

"This is insane," Noctis growled as Ignis grabbed one of his wrists to uncross his arms and examine it for cuts. "All of this. At least my headaches are gone."

Prompto pushed his way between them. "Can we not fight? It's not like we can change anything. Gladio did the boundy thing and has totally kickass powers now. There's no problem with that, right? I mean, there totally could be, but right now everything's fine."

"We don't have the Regalia," Ignis said, eyes never leaving Noctis' arm.

"Everything's _mostly_ fine," Prompto said, correcting himself. "Look, we'll figure everything out tomorrow, okay?"

Ardyn reached over to pat Prompto on the shoulder, the latter looking less than comfortable with the gesture. "Your blond little friend here is right. No use living in the past, I say."

Prompto mouthed something that Gladiolus was pretty sure was _I'm not little._ Ardyn continued.

"I'll drop you four off somewhere and you can figure out your next step. And if you need help, please don't hesitate to drop me a line."

"We have no way to contact you," Ignis said, not sounding too terribly upset by that fact.

"Then I shall find you," Ardyn shrugged.

Prompto frowned. "Yeah, that's not creepy at all. By the way, where, exactly, are you taking us?"

"Some place I think you'll all enjoy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow exposition sure is boring


	2. Rain and Runestones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unlike _Insomnia Shuffle_ , this fanfic isn't following a strict POV rotation. The POV will be of whichever character is most appropriate for the chapter.

Ardyn made it rain.

This was not speculation, but a _fact_ that Prompto was absolutely, one hundred percent sure of. Ardyn took them to the chocobo ranch, dropped them off, and then made it rain just to be a dick specifically to Prompto. How did he do it? Why did he do it? It was irrelevant. Prompto knew he, personally, was being victimized by the current situation.

Being at Wiz's Chocobo Post and having rain pour down nonstop was a cruelty that could only be precalculated. It had been two days since Ardyn dumped them there and they've spent them cooped up inside the caravan. While spending a night in one was no real problem, being cramped all day in such a small space with three other guys, no matter how much you adored said guys, was the worst.

Well, it was more like three guys and a god, because sometimes Gladiolus would talk to Titan who presumably spoke to him in his head. Which, under normal circumstances, would be totally worrying but in this case, it was just kind of worrying. If Prompto understood things right, and he didn't think he did, Gladiolus was now some kind of servant of Titan's, able to access some of the god's power to use as his own. Sort of like a demigod? Maybe. They didn't cover this in his humanities classes at school.

They were all going stir crazy to an extent. Noctis had slept so much he was now having trouble falling asleep, which was something that had been unheard of up until this point. Gladiolus would pace in what little space there was in the caravan. Even Ignis wasn't immune, having taken to tapping his fingers on any available surface out of boredom.

"I can't take this anymore," Noctis said as he stood up from his bed. "I'm going outside."

Outside. Into the rain. Prompto looked to Ignis who, surprisingly, didn't try to stop him, and only told him to not spend too long out there otherwise he'd catch a cold.

Gladiolus followed him out and eventually, Ignis did as well. A little reluctant to get wet, Prompto watched from the window as Noctis and Gladiolus splashed around in puddles while Ignis watched from the relative shelter of the awning attached to the caravan. Joining Ignis under the awning, he squinted as he made out a dark grey shape sitting beneath a tree.

"Hey, is that Umbra?"

Hearing the name of the dog, Noctis looked up and followed Prompto's gaze, immediately going straight to the animal. Prompto had once asked how Umbra was able to travel so far and find them so easily, but the only answer he got was a vague hand gesture and a "magic reasons" from Noctis. In other words, Noctis had no idea.

Crouching down, Noctis took the notebook from the dog messenger, flipping through the pages. With his back turned and his entire body hunched over, Prompto couldn't see a single thing. Not that this wasn't normal: Noctis took care to not let anyone see anything of his correspondence with Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. Once he had finished writing his reply and giving the notebook back to Umbra, he looked to the side and stood up.

Prompto looked as well and nearly jumped when he saw a mysterious woman with long black hair, closed eyes, and elaborate robes standing there. Who was she? Where did she come from? And how long had she been there? She quietly exchanged words with Noctis, who turned around and marched right back towards his three friends.

"C'mon," he said as he passed them. "Let's rent out our chocobos."

"What for?" Prompto asked. He was up for a chocobo ride just as much as the next guy, probably more, but in this weather? It was raining and was it just him or was it getting _worse!?_

"To ride them, duh," Noctis answered as he motioned for the other three to follow him.

"In this weather!?"

"Prompto," Noctis said as he stopped and motioned for the three confused men to follow him. "This weather isn't going to stop _unless_ we go out there."

* * *

The wind whipped at Prompto's face and the rain barraged his entire body mercilessly. Water dripped into his eyes and a layer of mist surrounding him made it difficult to see anything more than a couple hundred feet in front of him. His arms hurt, his hair was plastered to his face, and he was soaked to the bone. It was hard, in that moment, to not just hate everything, but he soldiered on, gritting his teeth and tightening his grip on the reigns of his valiant chocobo, a brave pale yellow bird by the name of Icarus that fought against the wind and water to carry his master across the Duscaean countryside.

The beautiful mystery woman, who Prompto had learned was named Gentiana, a messenger of the gods and personal servant of Lady Lunafreya, was the one who sent them on this fool's errand: to find three runestones associated with the Stormsender, Ramuh, one of the members of the Hexatheon. Which sounded...good. Fine. Better than fighting the guy. But Prompto had really wished that one, they had time for a proper rest before going on another Astral quest and two, if Ramuh hadn't decided to open up the heavens and dump the entire water content of the skies down onto them.

While the task to find three specific rocks in such a large area sounded daunting at first, they (Ignis) soon realized that lightning seemed to be striking specific spots constantly, acting like beacons telling them where to go. Through the poor visibility, Prompto focused on following the purple tail feathers of Noctis' chocobo, which he could just barely make out in front of him.

The first runestone was found easily enough and when he heard "runestone," Prompto was expecting a rock with some pattern carved into it, like how they usually were in movies and video games. Instead, it was more like a tree shaped rock crackling with electricity. It was like nothing he had ever seen and Prompto found himself fascinated by it. He lingered behind Noctis as the prince touched the runestone and once he was finished, Prompto reached out towards it himself, pausing slightly with hesitation when his fingers were mere inches away from it. Surely, mere mortals touching sacred items was some kind of sacrilege. However, Prompto found himself not caring as the stone looked as if it wanted him to touch it, calling him towards it. Tossing his worries aside, he pushed forward those last couple inches, his fingertips making contact with the stone.

It was, in a word, electrifying. Prompto felt what could only be a jolt of magical energy surge from his hand to the rest of his body and he wondered if this was what being struck by lightning was like. Except he assumed that being struck by lightning was actually painful and deadly and this was more like being filled with excess energy, the kind that had to worked off by doing something, anything. He pulled his arm back, unwilling to tempt fate. That sure was a thing. His curiosity sated and the others were getting back onto their chocobos. If he didn't want to be left behind, he'd knew better do the same.

He turned around to walk back to Icarus, but paused when he heard a voice.

"Who's there?"

Prompto looked around, but saw no one. Figuring he was just imagining things, he ran to catch up to his companions.

They followed the lightning to the second runestone, which was much like the first. As they raced, they passed by scattered squads of magitek troopers, probably also there to seek out the Stormsender and if their actions at the Disc of Cauthess were any indication, try to kill him as well. Prompto couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Ramuh were to die. Would an endless storm rage over Duscae, drowning everything? He shuddered, partially from the cold and partially from the thought of violent weather like this continuing for eternity.

When the second runestone came into sight, Prompto was overcome with an irresistible urge to touch it, much like the first one. Noctis reached it first, hopping off his chocobo to approach the runestone with a hand outstretched to touch it. Prompto followed, doing the same, and he felt the same shock traveling from his fingertips down to his toes.

"You're not the Chosen King," he heard.

"Uh, yeah," he muttered. "He was just here. I'm just a tagalong."

"Hmm," the voice mused, and before Prompto could ask anything, he heard Noctis' voice telling him it was time to go.

* * *

The third runestone, unlike the others, was located deep within a cave called Foicaugh Hollow.

"Ugh, another cave," Prompto muttered as the four of them dismounted their chocobos and stared into the inky blackness. "Why is it always caves? Why can't we just stroll through a meadow for once."

"If you'd rather sit outside with the chocobos in the rain, you're welcome to do so," Gladiolus told him.

As much as Prompto didn't want to go into the dark cave that was almost certainly infested with daemons, he wanted to be left behind even less. He followed them in, frowning at the squelching sounds his wet boots made with each step. "S'cold in here," he complained, rubbing his wet arms in an attempt to generate some warmth. The hollow was cold enough on its own, but going in after being nearly drowned in the rain outside made it even worse.

Ignis removed his blazer, wringing out some of the water that had seeped into it. "The sooner we find the last runestone, the sooner we can find someplace warm and dry." The blazer had done little to protect his dress shirt, which was also soaking wet, clinging to Ignis' body. Yet somehow, it still looked somewhat dignified. Leave it to Ignis to be able to pull off looking good even while being thoroughly drenched.

"Go left," Gladiolus said when they reached a fork in the path. "Trust me, I know. I just...know, okay? Titan reasons."

The further they went into the cave, the more Prompto didn't like it. He wasn't a fan of any of the underground caves they've been in, which was, in his opinion, far too many, but there was something about this one that made goosebumps rise on his skin. And it wasn't from the cold. More than once, he thought he heard something. Something was shifting among the stalagmites. It sounded like something was dragging. Or maybe sliding. Once in a while, he would nervously ask his friends if they heard it as well, but was dismissed every time.

Stopping by a hole in the cave wall, Prompto let morbid curiosity take hold of him and stare down it. The only thing he saw was pitch black darkness and he took a moment to imagine what kinds of things could be lurking down there. Daemons, no doubt. Probably more of those nasty imps that liked to swarm them without warning.

A sound echoed from the hole and like the horror movie protagonists he liked to deride, Prompto leaned in a little closer, spotting a pair of inhuman glowing eyes for a split second before a huge creature emerged from the hole, sunk its fangs into his shoulder, and pulled him down.

Prompto screamed more from the terror than the pain and faintly he could hear Noctis and the others calling his name, but it was far too late for any of them to help him now. He felt himself being quickly and roughly dragged along the stone floor, sharp rocks scratching his skin and his head being bumped along the terrain. It had only lasted a couple minutes, but it felt like hours. He shrieked the entire way, the voices of his friends becoming distant, but never completely disappearing.

He was dropped without warning and Prompto, dazed and confused, struggled to get to his feet and when he finally did, was face-to-face with the very creature that brought him there. It was huge monster with a serpentine body but with the head of a woman, one with long, unkempt hair. One look at the black ichor that dripped from its body and the dark smoke that it exhaled told him one thing: this was a daemon.

"My baby..." it hissed at him and if Prompto hadn't lost his voice in fear, he would have screamed again. It...she? Talked! Daemons weren't supposed to talk. She slithered behind him, examining him like he was a piece of prey. "My baby, we can be together forever."

He ran.

Prompto leapt over the snake daemon's body and it screeched, a horrible, awful sound that made him want to cover his ears. He didn't know where he was or where he was going, his only thought was to _get away_ from the horrible creature. They were in a big circular cavern and Prompto ran for the first exit he saw, an opening that gave way to a small hole in the wall that he had to slide to get under. He cleared it with seconds to spare and he heard a loud thump and the stone around him shake as the daemon collided head first with opening, which was just too small for her to get through. He crawled away from the opening, back several feet until he felt confident that she wouldn't be able to reach him no matter how hard she tried. The daemon attempted several times to squeeze through, even turning around to try to poke her tail in, but it was to no avail, eventually giving up and slithering away.

He was safe, but he was also trapped. Doubtlessly, the daemon was lurking just outside in the cavern and was just going to wait him out. With his heart still beating a million miles per second, Prompto just sat there for a few moments, trying to catch his breath and hope he didn't die of fright. Only once he had managed to calm down a bit, he took stock of his situation. He was in a small alcove that, despite the terror pit of hell that awaited him just outside, seemed gentle and serene.

And then he saw it. The third runestone.

It looked just like the other two runestones, tall and spindly like a tree in the dead of winter and crackling with electricity. For the third time, Prompto approached, hand reaching out for it. There was no hesitation this time, because it was as if the runestone was calling out to him, and he was willing to answer it. The moment his fingers made contact, he felt the surge of magic, more powerful than before.

"Ah, yes. I see now," the voice in his head said. It was the voice of an elderly man, the kind of voice reserved for wise men or wizards. "The Oracle said that the Chosen King would be coming to see me. She did not say anything about you."

"Ramuh," Prompto said, hand still on the stone. "You're Ramuh, right?"

"That is correct," the voice answered. "I am Ramuh, the Stormsender, along with the many other names humanity has given me throughout the ages."

In the distance, Prompto could hear the faint call of Noctis' voice. "Prompto?" Before he could answer it, however, the huge snake daemon got to Noctis first, demanding to know where her baby was. "Don't know, sorry. Now tell me where Prompto is!" he heard Noctis spit at her and the daemon let out a shrill cry of anger and the sounds of battle began to echo towards him.

"Noct!" Prompto gasped. "My friends are out there! I've got to help them!" But as much as he wanted to help, Prompto found his body rooted in place from fear. That daemon had sunk her fangs into his shoulder and dragged him around like a rag doll. She did it so easily and she could do it again. What could he do?

The battle continued to rage and he could hear the scuffling of feet, the grunts of his friends and...the ribbits of frogs?

"What is stopping you?" Ramuh asked and Prompto nearly jumped before he realized he still had his hand on the runestone. "Your friends need you."

"I..." Prompto trailed off, staring at the small opening that led out to the cavern. "I'm scared."

"Fear can be quite the stopping force," Ramuh said. "But it can also be a powerful motivator. Tell me, young man, which do you fear more: the daemon just beyond that wall or losing those dear to you?"

Prompto turned around to stare at the runestone, as if it were the Astral himself. "Losing them, of course! It's just...Ramuh, you're a god, right? Can't you help them? Please!"

"I am not a god," Ramuh replied and Prompto felt his heart sank, his appeal rejected, but Ramuh wasn't done talking. "Were I a god, things in this world would be so much simpler. But what I can do is help you help them."

"You mean..." Prompto started, his blue eyes widening with realization. He knew what Ramuh was going to ask. The fact that he could even talk to Ramuh was proof enough. He hadn't realized it earlier, his mind to preoccupied with his situation.

"Forge a covenant with me," Ramuh said. "Like your previous self did two thousand years ago."

Speechless for a moment, Prompto misplaced his ability to speak only to find it when he heard a distinctly human grunt of pain. "Okay! I'll do it! If this will help me help them, then of course!"

"Very well then," Ramuh's voice said, and Prompto heard him clear his throat, which struck him as kind of odd. Since when do gods need to clear their throats? "I, Ramuh, offer you the potential of the sky itself. The air shall be your realm and the mysteries of magic shall be yours to explore. In return, you will be my apprentice. You will help me study and learn about this star and the inhabitants who live on it." There was a pause and Prompto felt something different in the little alcove. It was like the air around him was being charged with static electricity. "To walk the path of Ramuh is to walk the path of discovery. You will learn many things, including things you will wish you remained ignorant of. Do you accept? Give me your name and your answer."

Pressing his entire hand against the runestone, Prompto gathered what confidence and courage he had and gave his answer. "My name is Prompto Argentum and I accept."

"Then, Prompto Argentum, Incarnation of Bellerophon, I bestow upon you the title of Skybreaker. Be as unpredictable as a bolt of lightning and as bold as a peal of thunder. This potential is yours to shape however you wish."

Prompto felt like his entire body was being infused with energy, with some kind of magical electricity that made him feel like he could float up into the sky and fly away. However, his feet remained firmly rooted to the stone floor of the alcove.

"It is done," Ramuh said, and Prompto didn't need to be told twice, scrambling for the cavern. He had one hand on the stone wall and was about to squeeze himself back through the tiny opening when Ramuh spoke again, causing him to pause. "And Bellerophon, it is good to see you again."

Prompto ducked and crawled through the opening just in time to see Ignis flying past him, landing on the ground and rolling a few feet before coming to a stop.

"Ignis!" he cried, running over to his friend's side and kneeling down. He put a hand on Ignis' arm and saw that his friend's face was pale, a sign of poisoning. "Ignis, are you alright?"

"Prompto?" Ignis asked quietly, clearly disoriented and staring at him as if he didn't quite recognize him. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," Prompto said, then turned around. He saw the snake daemon hovering above Noctis who was holding a brown toad with white markings below its eyes and on its legs. The toad put a webbed hand on Noctis' arm and croaked at the daemon bravely, but uselessly.

That was Gladiolus. Probably.

Enraged, Prompto summoned one of his guns and loaded it, pointing it straight at the daemon. "Hey you!" he snarled, catching her attention. "It's me you want, isn't it? Well, come and get me!"

His words were unwavering, but on the inside, Prompto was terrified. He held his gun in both hands as the daemon turned around and hissed at him, keeping it trained on her forehead. Just as she reared back to lunge, he fired, striking her in the forehead. However, if killing the daemon was that simple, his friends would have taken care of it by now.

"How dare you strike your own mother!?" the daemon screamed at him before launching herself at him.

In the days they had been trapped in the caravan in the chocobo ranch, Prompto asked Gladiolus what using Titan's magic was like.

 _"You just do it,"_ Gladiolus had told him. _"It's like always knew how and suddenly, you remember."_

Prompto found that it was like calling upon an old memory as a bolt of lightning struck behind the daemon next to Noctis and suddenly, Prompto was there beside the prince.

"What the hell!?" Noctis yelled out, nearly dropping Toad Gladiolus. ("Gladitoadus," Ignis would later joke.) "What the shit, Prompto, don't _do_ that!"

"Sorry," Prompto managed to squeak out before turning back to the daemon, who seemed to be utterly baffled by Prompto's sudden disappearance before her eyes settled on Ignis, who was still on the ground trying to get up. "Aw, shit." He loaded a Starshell into his gun and fired, the bright light causing the daemon to hiss and try to shield herself from the brightness. However, there was nowhere for her to hide. Prompto followed up with more regular gunshots straight to her head.

The daemon tried one last desperate rush, diving towards him with her jaws open and huge fangs revealed, but with a sweep of his arm, Prompto conjured up a wall of electricity which stopped the daemon in her tracks, shocking her. Her body convulsed and one last well aimed shot put her down for good.

"You guys alright?" Prompto asked as he hurried over to Ignis to help him to his feet.

"I've been better," Ignis mumbled as Prompto shoved an antidote into his hands.

"More worried about you," Noctis answered. The toad in his arms jumped down seconds before reverting back to its true form: Gladiolus Amicitia in his Astralbound form with dark skin and white markings on his arms.

"That was some pretty cool stuff you pulled back there, Prompto," Gladiolus said, giving him a friendly punch to the arm. "Lemme guess: you made the pact with Ramuh."

Prompto managed a laugh. "Yeah. How'd you guess?"

"Well, the white hair is a dead giveaway for one."

"White hair?" Prompto frowned as he reached up to touch his hair, bringing a few strands in front of his face. Sure enough, they were white. "Aw man, as if I didn't look foreign enough already."

"You've got some bumps on your forehead too," Noctis added and Prompto's hand went to his forehead, feeling tiny hornlike protrusions sticking out of it.

"Lastly, your eyes are red," Ignis finished. Seeing as he couldn't really tell the color of his eyes by touching them, Prompto was just going to take his word for it.

"At least I've got no wrinkles," Prompto sighed. "Alright. Gladio, how do I turn this off?"

Gladiolus shrugged as his skin returned to its normal color and the markings on his arms faded away. "Just...stop."

"Real helpful," Prompto grunted, rubbing the hornlike bumps on his forehead. "Just stop. That's great advice. I'll just stop and these bumps will go away just like-" he cut himself off as the bumps indeed, did go away just like that. "...oh, okay."

"Just so you know, there's still a white streak in your hair," Gladiolus said, pointing to one of Prompto's locks.

"Oh god, I must look like a scene kid," Prompto groaned.

Noctis insisted on seeing the last runestone and when the prince touched it, nothing happened. "So what's the point of me going to see all these Astrals if you jerks keep getting to them before I do?" He looked accusingly at Ignis. "If you steal the next one, I'm going to scream."

"I will do my best to avoid such a situation," Ignis replied stoically.

When the four of them emerged back into daylight, they were greeted by clear skies and the smells of the great outdoors after the rain. They were cold, wet, injured, exhausted, and hungry, but most of all, they were happy to have this entire ordeal over with.

"I don't know about you guys," Prompto said as he took in a deep breath of fresh, pleasant, non stale, non cave air. As much as Prompto grumbled about the rain, the scents of the outdoors after a storm were always amazing. "but I could really go for some hot soup right about now."

"Well, I do owe you for saving me," Ignis chuckled. "I suppose I can whip up one of your favorites for tonight."

"Pipe down over there," Noctis said as he fished his phone out of his jacket pocket. "Cindy's calling." Finding his device and swiping the screen to answer it, Noctis put his phone up to his ear and quickly spoke to Cindy. With a goodbye far more polite than the ones he usually gave to his friends, he hung up. "Well, the good news is Cindy found the Regalia. The bad news is she found her in an Imperial base."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah the boys have the same chocobos they did in _Eye to Eye_ I love them too much
> 
> Persephone is Best Chocobo


	3. Regalia Rumble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also known as the chapter where the Regalia is the most important character

Getting the Regalia out of an Imperial base was going to be quite the task. The four of them spent half a day scouting the place out from every possible angle and formulating plans. The plan that eventually won out, much to Noctis and Gladiolus' dismay, was a covert stealth plan in which the four of them would sneak into the base under the cover of darkness, sabotage as much of the base as they could, and get the Regalia out during the chaos.

It wasn't the best plan, but honestly, there was no such thing as a best plan in this situation.

There was still a few hours until night fall, so Noctis was looking for ways to pass the time and decided to seek out his best friend and seeing if they could do something together. A preliminary search around their camp, however, showed that Prompto was nowhere to be found. Not one to give up easily when searching out entertainment, Noctis left the safety of the haven to seek him out. Prompto would be easy to find; he knew better than to stray too far away from the group.

The grunting of beasts caught Noctis attention as he pushed his way through a small copse of trees. He could also hear Prompto's voice and normally, the sound of animal noises and a human's coming from the same area meant a battle was going on, but everything was calm and quiet. There were no sounds of weaponry being used or the slight shake in the earth whenever a large animal charged in rage. Everything was calm and serene.

"Prompto?" Noctis asked as he squeezed past a large bush to find his friend on the other side with a spiracorn, which was odd. Spiracorns were aggressive, territorial animals that normally attacked other creatures, including humans, on sight. But Prompto was standing right in front of one and it was as docile as a tame chocobo. "Prompto, what the hell are you doing?"

"Oh, hey Noct," Prompto said, giving the prince a lazy wave. "I was just talking Lilac here."

"I'm sorry," Noctis said, eyes going between Prompto and the spiracorn. "Am I understanding this right? You're talking to a spiracorn?"

The spiracorn in question turned its head to look at Noctis, then gave a snort of anger. Prompto immediately reached out to pat the monster on the neck and it calmed down. "Whoa, whoa, it's okay. He's a friend." The spiracorn looked back at him and grunted and Noctis could not believe what he was both seeing and hearing. Prompto really was talking to a spiracorn. "We good? Cool. Noct, Lilac says-"

"Lilac?"

"Yeah," Prompto said, withdrawing his hand. "Lilac. Short for Lilac Lilly."

Noctis stared at him in disbelief. "You named it Lilac Lilly?"

Prompto crossed his arms and frowned. "No! Of course not! That's what she said her name is. Anyway, will you let me finish? Lilac says the local spiracorns around here will leave us alone as long as we don't bother them. Also if we ever need help with anything, we can ask."

Noctis needed a moment to process everything. So apparently Prompto could talk to spiracorns now, and he was going to assume that was due to Ramuh's influence because otherwise that meant Prompto was hiding some very big secrets from him. And somehow he was able to make a deal with the local spiracorn population to not only not get attacked by them, but to be able to ask for their help?

Lilac Lilly snorted and stomped a hoof.

For a good minute or so, Noctis could only wonder what kind of help a spiracorn could give him. "Alright, I...okay. Yeah. Sure. I'm just going to go back to camp."

* * *

Stealth was not really Noctis' forte, no matter how many Assassin's Creed games he played. If he had his way they'd just walk right in and smash the place until it was nothing but a pile of rubble that no longer sullied the countryside with its concrete ugliness. Gladiolus was on board with the direct approach too, but Ignis and Prompto were adamant about not doing that and they eventually had to give in. Noctis didn't see why. Sure, they were only four guys, but half of those guys were god servants with awesome powers like...talking to spiracorns, apparently. They could take an entire base.

But fine, if Ignis and Prompto wanted to do it the lame and boring way, then they'll do it the lame and boring way. When the last of the sun's rays disappeared over the horizon, they snuck into the base from a side door that was left unattended.

"Now, Noct," Ignis said once they had split into pairs. "I don't think I need to remind you that it's imperative we remain unseen."

"Yeah, yeah," Noctis said. "I know. I'm gonna take out that guy that's in our way, alright?"

"Alright Noct, but please wait-"

Before Ignis could finish his sentence, however, Noctis had already thrown his sword into the unsuspecting magitek trooper's back and warped to it, using his weight to slam it into the ground.

While in full view of the trooper's buddies. All of them raised their rifles up to aim at Noctis.

Warping back to where Ignis was hiding behind some cover, Noctis gave his advisor a sheepish look. "Uh...whoops?"

Ignis gave him a look that said he was trying very hard to not bury his face into his hands and sob.

Chaos erupted, and it was not the good kind of chaos. The plan originally called for them to cause controlled havoc to lure the bulk of the Imperial forces away from the Regalia once they had located it and use it as a distraction to get the car out. This kind of chaos involved Noctis and Ignis running for their lives with a swarm of magitek troopers in hot pursuit. They would take out whatever enemies they could, but the truth was it was too dangerous for just the two of them to try to fight that many opponents at once.

"Where's Gladio and Prompto!?" Noctis asked. "Why did we have to split up in the first place!?"

"I will be happy to answer your questions when we aren't being chased by half a garrison's worth of Imperial forces!" Ignis snapped back at him. Rounding a corner and dashing into a warehose, the two of them hid behind some stacks of crates to catch their breaths. "Gladio and Prompto went the other way and we split up to find the Regalia faster. They were to cause a commotion once she had been located."

"Instead, we're the ones who caused a commotion. And too soon," Noctis sighed.

"No, Highness, that was all you," Ignis muttered bitterly as he picked up his phone which had started to vibrate in his pocket. Only Ignis would have thought to silence their phones' ringtones before starting the operation. "Yes, Prompto?" A pause. "Yes, there was...a problem. If you and Gladio would be so kind to...yes, I understand. Thank you. Goodbye." Hanging up the call and putting his phone back into his jacket pocket, Ignis turned to Noctis. "Well, the good news is Prompto and Gladio found the Regalia and told me where it is. They'll be causing a bit of havoc in about ten minutes and that will be our chance."

It was the longest ten minute wait of Noctis' life, the two of them sitting still behind a pile of boxes hoping that none of the Empire's forces had seen them go into the warehouse and would find them there. There were no sounds aside from the fort's sirens blaring and Noctis couldn't decide whether that was better or worse than total silence.

At last, both of their phones vibrated as Prompto had sent a message saying he and Gladiolus were starting the distraction and Noctis and Ignis took it as their cue to dare to peer out of the warehouse. The immediate surrounding area was empty, but in the distance, the unmistakable sounds of battle could be heard. The sounds only got louder as they grew closer until they could see Gladiolus and Prompto back to back and surrounded by enemies. Normally, that would be a very dire situation, but both men were channeling their Astral given gifts, a fact that evened the odds quite a bit.

Noctis paused briefly to watch them fight. Gladiolus swung his greatsword and unleashed a wave of air to knock some troopers down while Prompto infused his gun with ice magic to deliver some freezing shots. He was fascinated by the sight and would have stayed longer had Ignis not grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away.

"This place didn't look so big on the outside," Noctis complained as they took a wrong turn and ran into a dead end. "It's like a maze in here."

It would be another ten minutes before they found the Regalia. The Empire had not treated her kindly: multiple windows were broken, parts of her body were warped, and countless scratches and dings could be seen all over her. Were King Regis still alive, Noctis was certain his dear old father would kill him for letting his car get into that state.

"Let's hope she still runs," Ignis mumbled as he pulled out the keys to the Regalia from his pocket and moved to unlock the driver's seat door.

Something caught the corner of Noctis' eyes and he reached forward to yank Ignis back. "Ignis, look out!"

A flash of metal swiped through the air where Ignis had been standing just a second before. It impaled itself on the ground and Noctis saw it was a sword.

"Well, well, what have we here?" A voice sneered. It was arrogant and full of contempt, but most importantly, Noctis realized the accent was Tenebraean, like Ignis and Lunafreya. "The fugitive heir to the Lucian throne, I see." A man stepped into view, wearing the uniform of a high ranking Niflheim commander. It was stark white, like his hair, but the most eye catching feature of the man was the metallic left arm he had. It didn't seem to be a type of armor, it was more like it was his actual arm.

It's been years since Noctis last saw this man, but he recognized him easily. Ravus Nox Fleuret, former prince of Tenebrae and Lunafreya's older brother.

"Come to retrieve your father's car, have you?" Ravus asked, glancing at the Regalia with an intense hatred, as if the car had done something unforgivable to him. "I'm afraid I can't let you have it. It's the property of the Niflheim Empire now. Speaking of which, this base is Imperial property as well, as is the entire kingdom of Lucis. You're trespassing and will be dealt with accordingly." Using his human arm, Ravus freed his sword from the concrete and pointed it at Noctis. Or, more accurately, he pointed it at Ignis who had put himself between the two.

"Noct!"

A gunshot rang out and Ravus stepped back as a bullet nearly hit his feet. Prompto lowered his gun to get to Noctis followed by Gladiolus, who then suddenly changed course to charge at Ravus with his greatsword raised and ready to strike. As he brought it down, Ravus used his left arm to block the weapon and retaliate. Some sort of power resonated from the arm, a power so strong that Gladiolus was sent flying.

"Gladio!" Noctis shouted, giving his friend a concerned look before turning back to Ravus, eyes narrowed in rage. With one arm, he roughly shoved Ignis aside to march up to the Imperial commander, the Royal Arms he had collected so far on the journey swirling around him. "You wanna go!?"

"Excuse me!" A new voice echoed and all eyes turned to the source of it, one Ardyn Izunia with one arm raised in the air as if he were hailing a taxi and walking towards them at a rather languid pace. "Yes, pardon me, so sorry to interrupt, but High Commander, I'm here to tell you that your presence is requested in Gralea."

"Is this really the time?" Ravus growled at him. "I have the prince right here, I can-"

"Allow me to repeat myeslf," Ardyn interrupted, leaning in to hover over Ravus, dropping his voice low as he spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly and with a vague hint of threats in his tone. "You have been summoned to Graela and are to depart immediately. That is a direct order."

With great reluctance, Ravus sheathed his sword, stalking away, but not before giving Noctis a look that clearly said that they would continue this later, at some unspecified point of time in the future. What remained of the Imperial forces in the base followed him mindlessly. Once they were all safely out of sight, Noctis leered at Ardyn suspiciously before turning around to check on Gladiolus. He heard Ignis say something, but by then he wasn't listening, more concerned about his friend than whatever choice angry words Ignis had for Ardyn.

"Hey," he said, softening his expression as he knelt down by his friend and Shield. "You okay, Gladio? Anything hurt?"

"Just my pride," Gladiolus answered as Noctis helped him up to his feet. "I can't believe he beat me so easily," he continued, then stared down at the white markings on his arms. "Even though I was using Titan's power."

"Look, it's not your fault," Noctis said, trying to make him feel better. "The Empire can kill gods. I mean, it kind of goes without saying they can go toe-to-toe with god servants too."

Sadly, it seemed that Noctis wasn't very good at making people feel better, because it didn't seem to help at all. Still, he was going to try. He continued.

"Well, for what it's worth, I think you're a great Shield."

"Thanks, Noct," Gladiolus said, but his forced smile and tired voice clearly said that he didn't believe it.

Before the conversation could continue any further, it was cut off by the sound of the Regalia's engine sputtering to life followed by a celebratory yell from Prompto who threw a fist pump in victory.

"Incredible, Prompto," Ignis said from behind the driver's wheel. "I was afraid we'd have to call Cindy and get her to tow the Regalia all the way back to Hammerhead."

"We still need to get her fixed up," Prompto said as he slammed the hood of the Regalia down before taking his customary position next to Ignis in the passenger's seat. "Cindy knows a lot more about cars than I do. This is just so we can save a couple hundred gil on towing fees."

"Let's get going," Noctis said as the two of them made their way to the car. "I think we've wasted enough time."

"Yeah," Gladiolus agreed. "Too much concrete. Not enough nature."

* * *

They were all worried that the car would break down before they reached Hammerhead, but the Regalia wasn't just the most stylish car in all of Eos. She was also one of the strongest and most reliable. While this kind of damage would have made normal, lesser cars give up after not even thirty minutes on the road, the Regalia made the trip across Duscae and into Leide and finally pulling into Hammerhead without falling apart, although she did make some very nerve wracking noises.

"Oh my stars," Cindy gasped as she ran out of her garage, summoned by sounds that no motor vehicle should be making. "What did those mean old Imperials do to my girl?" The engine was barely off before she was running her hands over the car, feeling every bump and every dent. "She's an awful mess. It'll take a couple days, but you boys leave her to me. I'll have her good as new before y'all know it."

After everything they've been through, it was almost nice to be back in Leide and its vast amounts of nothing. The land was almost uniform, mainly flat with the occasional ridge or large rock formation here and there. The ground was a golden color, speckled with dark green scrubs that stubbornly grew in the harsh conditions. The skies were usually clear, meaning the sun was free to beat down on the landscape and anyone in it harshly, but it also meant the nights offered an unhindered view of the moon and stars. And during sunset and sunrise, the horizon was the most gorgeous shades of yellow, orange, red, and purple.

Or at least that's what Noctis heard. The one time he's been awake at dawn in Leide he was still half asleep and preoccupied with stirring a pot of soup. He wasn't really paying attention and to be completely honest, didn't really care about the scenery at five in the morning.

As far as places to take a few days for rest and relaxation, Hammerhead was a decent choice. There was always something going on there, either Cindy needed help or something or Cid was feeling generous enough to tell stories from the past or Takka was creating a new dish for everyone to try. The worst thing about it was there were no motels nearby, but a caravan still beat camping in Noctis' book.

It was a great opportunity to unwind, although while Noctis, Prompto, and Ignis seemed to be enjoying themselves, Gladiolus was unusually sullen. He wasn't his usual self, conspicuously absent were his normally laid back personality and friendly demeanor that led him to talk to anyone and everyone that crossed his path. He was silent during conversations and was distracted half the time by apparently nothing at all.

This called for desperate measures.

"Hey Gladio," Noctis called over one morning. His Shield was seated in one of the plastic chairs outside the caravan staring off into the distance. "Wanna train?"

"Nah," came the reply and both Prompto and Ignis looked up from their respective activities of fiddling with a camera and reading the newspaper at the same time.

"Gladio," Noctis said, crossing his arms. "What's up with you lately?"

"Nothing," Gladiolus said, defensively. "Just not feeling too hot."

"You don't look sick. Does this have anything to do with the Niff base we raided last week?" Noctis pressed, stepping closer to his friend. "Are you hurt? Because I swear to god if you got some kind of injury-"

"I'm not hurt, Noct," Gladiolus interrupted. "There's nothing to worry about, alright?"

Noctis glared at him, eyes narrow and face in a furious frown. "Bullshit. If something's bothering you, spit it out."

His glare was returned. "It's none of your business, Noct."

"It's _plenty_ my business!" Noctis spat back. "If something's up, I need to know. You're my Shield, and I can't have you moping around like this. If you can't do your duties then I have a problem."

"I'm not moping," Gladiolus insisted, looking furious.

"Sure looks like it to me."

It was then that Ignis decided to cut in, folding up his newspaper as he stepped between them. "I think that's enough out of both of you," he said, then pointed the newspaper at Noctis. "Noct, it does none of us any good to provoke each other." And then the newspaper was pointed at Gladiolus. "Gladio, what I believe Noct is _trying_ to say is that we're all worried about you."

"Yeah, dude," Prompto added, fidgeting with the camera in his hands. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're acting really weird."

"And I keep telling all of you that it's nothing," Gladiolus growled. "Look, I appreciate your concern, but drop it."

As it was clear to them that this was a conversation that was heading only in circles, Ignis and Prompto gave up, choosing to head to Hammerhead's shop together, not to buy anything, but to pass the time. Noctis, however, gave Gladiolus one last dirty look before going into the caravan, flopping down onto his bed and pulling out his phone to fiddle with it.

"Stupid Gladio," he muttered to himself as he opened up King's Knight. "Stubborn asshole."

If Gladiolus wanted to be a difficult jackass, that was his decision. At least nobody could say that Noctis didn't try to help. It was just impossible to help someone who didn't want to be helped. Well, that was just fine by him. Gladiolus could rot for all he cared.

At least, that's what he told himself, because every so often he would look up from his phone and out the caravan window, hoping he could see his sullen Shield and wondering if he was really as fine as he claimed he was.

It just wasn't right. Noctis knew he was supposed to be the difficult one. He hadn't fully grown out of his teenage years and could be just as moody as a stereotypical fifteen-year-old. Whenever he acted up, Gladiolus was always there to knock him down a few pegs and help him get out of whatever rut he found himself in. And now their roles were reversed and Noctis found he didn't like it. Too many things weren't the way they should be and he couldn't help but feel like his world had turned upside down.

Whenever he felt lost, he always looked to his friends. Prompto for his upbeat attitude, Ignis for his advice, and Gladiolus for being unshakable. But now it seemed that the latter _had_ been shaken, and Noctis was worried, even frightened. If he couldn't count on Gladiolus to be the way he always was, what could he count on? Ignis and Prompto might change as well and then what would he be left with?

Nothing.

He was a prince without a country. His father was dead and the city he called home occupied by foreign aggressors. He didn't know where Lunafreya, his childhood friend, was, and he had no idea where he was going or what he was doing. The only thing he had left was his friends, and the last thing he wanted was to lose them too.

All he wanted was for one thing to remain constant in his life. He wanted normal Gladiolus, the one who would tease him mercilessly and call him a weakling on a daily basis just to piss him off. Was that too much to ask?

His phone beeped and Noctis looked down to see that he was on the verge of failing his current quest in King's Knight. With a swear, he hurried to salvage the situation, but it was too late. The run was doomed and Noctis closed the game as soon as losing fanfare began to play from his phone's speakers. He had to resist the urge to throw his phone across the caravan in frustration and he almost did, having his phone in his hand drawn back behind his head.

But just before he could launch it, it rang. Instead of throwing his phone, he answered the call instead.

"Hey Noct," Prompto's voice sounded. "You want anything from the store?"

"Prompto," Noctis said. "I'm like a two minute walk away from you."

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to walk all the way over there just to ask if you wanted anything. Then I'd have to walk back. That's four minutes wasted. Really inefficient. You know how Iggy is about inefficiency."

"I really don't think..." Noctis started, but sighed, deciding that he wasn't up for having meaningless arguments with Prompto at the moment. "Okay, uh, do they have chips? The BBQ ones. Those are my favorite."

"I'll look," Prompto said, and Noctis could hear the rustle of plastic bags as Prompto searched through the mart's shelves. "Oh, and Cindy stopped by. She said the Regalia's all fixed up and ready to go. You should see her. She looks good as new. Anyway, Cindy said that the reason it took so long was because she had to get the parts, which has gotta be hard because the Regalia's one of a kind, you know? But because she's Cindy and she's _amazing_ , she was able to get some-"

"Bye, Prompto," Noctis said, and immediately hit the end call button.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i'm late sorry about that


	4. Weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm done fighting this chapter

"Gladdy? Gladdy, is that you?"

Gladiolus knelt down to envelop his sister in a hug. "Yeah, Iris. It's me. I know I look a little different, but it's still your big brother right here." When she buried her face into his shoulder, he pulled back slightly to look at her. Her face was puffy and her eyes were red. She had been crying, and for quite some time. "Iris? What's wrong?"

"Oh, Gladdy," she sobbed, rubbing her eyes with her hands. "It was awful. While you were gone, the Empire came in and...and...Gladdy, Jared's gone!"

"Gone?" he repeated. "What do you mean gone?"

Iris cried harder and after a moment, she had calmed down enough to talk again. "He's dead! The Empire came here to Lestallum and killed him!"

At that moment, Gladiolus felt his blood run cold as he was overcome with shock. He refused to believe it. Jared couldn't be dead. Jared wasn't just a butler, he was practically a grandfather to him. Niflheim had gone too far. First, they took his father. Then his country. Then his pride. And now they took Jared as well? They practically won the war at this point. What else did the Empire want? What else was Gladiolus going to lose because he was too weak and pathetic to protect anything?

He was a sad excuse of an Astralbound, a King's Shield, and a man. He wasn't worthy of the name Amicitia.

Gladiolus turned and punched the nearest wall with all of his strength.

"Gladdy, stop!" Iris yelled, grabbing his arm with both of her hands and pulling. "You'll hurt yourself!"

It was too late for that, for his knuckles were raw and bloody from when they collided with the solid wall, but he felt no pain. Instead, his fist just felt numb, drowned out by the feelings of inadequacy he had been suffering from since his humiliating defeat at the hands of Ravus Nox Fleuret.

"Sorry," he apologized weakly, letting his sister pull him away from the wall and to the Leville where he let Ignis patch up his hand. Normally, his friend would chide him about being foolish and hurting himself unnecessarily, but this time he was completely silent, only focused on cleaning the injured hand and bandaging it up. Gladiolus was sure that Ignis was silently judging him for being stupid.

A plan was formulated to get Iris and Jared's grandson, Talcott, to Cape Caem as soon as possible. Caem was an isolated location in the southwest corner of Lucis that was sparsely populated compared to the rest of the kingdom. They would be safe there. The Empire would have a hard time finding them there and as its name implied, Cape Caem was on the coast and had both a dock and a boat that they could use to get to Altissia.

It was a good plan. Gladiolus knew that both Iris and Talcott would be safe there under the protection of what remained of the Crownsguard. They would leave first thing in the morning and as somber good nights were said and lights were turned off, Gladiolus closed his eyes and lay still in bed until he fell into a restless sleep an hour later.

* * *

The sky over the Disc of Cauthess was clear, its shade a serene and relaxing blue. Birds chirped their cheerful birdsongs as life went about its daily business.

In the center of the disc knelt Titan, a humongous man-like being with dark skin and white markings over his body. On his shoulders rested a gigantic rock, one that didn't match the landscape around them, as if it had come from another world entirely. Many years ago, that rock fell from the sky and was caught by Titan before it could hit the ground. He has carried it ever since, unwilling to put it down and let it touch earth that he embodied. Years of holding it up have begun to take their toll as foreign formations from the meteor began to manifest on his body, including one of his eyes. But Titan never complained. He never faltered, bearing this burden tirelessly.

He held up the meteor because he had to. He had no other choice.

"Hello?"

The voice was tiny, almost indistinguishable, but the Astrals have an uncanny ability to hear even the most quiet of voices when they choose to listen. Titan looked down towards the ground and spotted a tiny human boy. He had to be around the age of nine years old, which was like a second to a timeless being like Titan himself.

"Hello?" the child asked again. "Are you Titan?"

Titan stared down at him, but did not speak.

"I guess you are, you're just like the stories," the boy said. "I just had to come see for myself. Don't tell anyone I'm here, please?"

Titan continued to stare.

"That rock must be really heavy. Is it true that it fell from the sky?" The boy didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "Everyone says the reason you won't put it down is because there's something scary in it, and if you put it down, that scary thing will get out."

Titan let out a grunt. The boy seemed to take it as a yes.

"There's no one here," the boy said, looking around the crater. "You must be lonely." His expression lit up and he looked straight into Titan's single, unblocked eye. "I know! I'll be your friend! My name's Atlas. Nice to meet you." The boy, Atlas, looked around until he found a rock the size of his head and lifted it into his arms. "Look, I'll hold a rock too, so you're not the only one."

Atlas would come by every few days for years. He would play among the rocks and hold entirely one sided conversations with Titan, who would look down and watch him every time he visited.

"When I get older," A twelve-year-old Atlas said. "I'm gonna be strong like you and protect everybody like how you protect us from the evil in the rock."

Gladiolus woke up.

* * *

Everything was somber in the morning as the men, plus one little sister, piled into the Regalia.

"Goodbye, Lestallum," Iris said, watching the city disappear from sight as they drove away from it and towards Old Lestallum, which, as its name implied, was an older, smaller town on their way to Cape Caem. Things were silent for the first hour, nobody daring to speak. Ignis kept his eyes on the road while Noctis gazed blankly out at the scenery passing by. Iris didn't seem to know what to do with herself, fidgeting occasionally. Not liking this current state of things, Gladiolus reached over to lightly thump the seat in front of him.

"Hey, Prompto, turn on the radio, will you?"

Seemingly unsure at first, Prompto first looked to Ignis, as if asking for permission to touch the radio and only got a single, affirmative nod in return. Pushing the power button, music began to play and as if magic, the tense atmosphere of the Regalia began to melt away into something more relaxed. Friendly chatter began to float back and forth between the five of them, and Gladiolus could then sit a bit easier knowing that things were almost normal.

They stopped in Old Lestallum for gas, supplies, and a place to spend the night. They heard about a nearby Imperial base and on an impulsive whim, assaulted it as revenge for Jared's murder. Things didn't go quite as planned when the commander of the base escaped and they found themselves going toe-to-toe with a powerful and talented mercenary that Niflheim had recruited into its ranks, but the end result was the base did get trashed and that was good enough.

They reached Cape Caem shortly after that. It was a small and quaint place and Gladiolus thought that, were circumstances different, he would like to live in a place like it permanently. It would just be him and his family in a lone wooden house a decent ways away from civilization and in a beautiful part of the kingdom. He could enjoy nature every day, forage and hunt for food, and battle some of nature's most powerful beasts. It was an ideal fantasy life for him.

But the life he had now was pretty decent. If he discounted all of the bad things like the Niflheim Empire coming in and taking everything over.

It was all the more reason he needed to be able to protect what he had left. He had to protect Iris, Talcott, Noctis, Ignis, Prompto, and so many more people, places, and things that he cared deeply about. And recent events have made it quite clear that at his current levels of strength, that years of elite training and with the power of Titan backing him, he couldn't do that.

Gladiolus Amicitia was weak.

And so, when the others made plans to head north to the Vesperpool in order to seek out a rare metal called mythril in order to fix King Regis' old boat, Gladiolus told them he wouldn't be joining them.

Noctis stared at him, clearly hurt. "That's...alright. Do what you gotta do. It's not like I can stop you." And with that, the prince hopped into the back seat of the Regalia and pretended to go to sleep. After so many years of seeing him actually sleeping, it was painfully obvious whenever Noctis was faking it.

"I do believe you've upset poor Noct," Ignis said, having watched the entire scene unfold.

"I can see that," Gladiolus replied.

When he reunited with his friends, Noctis punched him several times in the chest before giving him a hug.

* * *

If Gladiolus had time to think, he would be thinking about how unreal it was that Altissia went from a pristine, perfect, picturesque city to a total warzone in such a short span of time.

Everything had gone, to put it nicely, completely to shit.

Altissia looked like it was one step away from being reduced to a pile of rubble. Parts of it _were_ reduced to rubble, like that bridge that ended up separating him and Prompto from Ignis.

"What do we do, Gladio?" Prompto asked, looking like he was on the edge of freaking out.

"We get to Noct," Gladiolus said. "Iggy will be fine. He can take care of himself better than any of us can. Now let's go."

Moving through the city proved to be difficult, even with the innate sense of direction that Titan had granted Gladiolus. If the squads of Imperial forces they had to cut through wasn't enough of a hindrance, the fact that the city was built like a maze did nothing to help.

"How the hell does anyone get around in this place!?" Gladiolus snarled.

"Gladio, look!" Prompto said, pointing to a discarded, fallen machine a few feet away. "I think I can get that working. You go on ahead, I'll see if I can kick some life into that and go right to Noct."

The nearly panicked Prompto from earlier was gone and one look at his friend's face told Gladiolus that he could trust him. "Alright. Be careful."

In the distance, Leviathan raged.

* * *

Gladiolus made it to the altar where the Oracle, Lunafreya, stood, watching Noctis do battle with the serpentine Astral.

"Lady Lunafreya," he gasped, short on breath due to running around the whole city just to get to her. "Are you alright? How's Noct!?"

"I'm fine," Lunafreya replied, even though he could see bruises and scrapes on her body, her dress frayed, yet still beautiful. "As for the Chosen King, all we can do is watch and wait."

"Why," a new voice interrupted. "that sounds _dreadfully_ boring."

Both Gladiolus and Lunafreya turned around to see Ardyn Izunia stepping down from a magitek dropship, the sound of its approach drowned out by the cacophony of noise that was sounding all around them. In his hand, he held a knife.

"My goodness, I didn't expect company," he said, glancing at Gladiolus. "This certainly was most unexpected."

"The hell do you want!?" Gladiolus demanded, putting himself between Ardyn and Lunafreya, for it is in his nature to protect not just Noctis, but the other people important to him as well as people who need defending. Lunafreya was the Oracle, a beacon of hope in the world, and perhaps more importantly, someone who was special to Noctis.

Ardyn shrugged. "Can't a friend just drop by to say hello?"

"Friends usually don't say hi brandishing knives," Gladiolus snarled at him.

"Oh, this little thing?" Ardyn laughed, glancing at the weapon briefly. "It's nothing to worry about. One can never be too careful, especially with this city in this state."

Gladiolus didn't buy that for a minute. It was plain as day: Ardyn had come here seeking Lunafreya's life and he now he was mocking him with this half-assed no effort attempt to "hide" his intentions.

"Oh my," Ardyn said, looking up towards the sky. "It seems that Prince Noctis is in a bit of a spot."

Taking a chance, Gladiolus followed Ardyn's gaze to see Noctis struggling against the Hydraean, who seemed to be keen on trying to throw him off her body as he hung on for dear life. Instinctively, Gladiolus wanted to go and help him, but what could he do from down on the altar? And he couldn't just abandon Lunafreya to Ardyn's mercy.

"Please, do not worry about me," Lunafreya said, as if she read his mind. Her eyes were trained on Ardyn, who was looking infuriatingly smug at watching their helplessness. "The king is of utmost importance."

"I can't just leave you," he said, frowning. "Besides, I can't do much from here."

He may have powers that were gifted to him by an Astral, but how much use were they going up against another Astral? Was Noctis going to die and he was going to fail as a King's Shield _again!?_ And even if he did rush off to save Noctis, that would mean leaving Lunafreya with a man who clearly intended to kill her. Even if his duty was to Noctis, the idea of leaving the Oracle, someone who his charge cared for deeply, to die, didn't sit right with him.

If only there was a way he could protect them both.

High up in the sky, Noctis lost his grip on Leviathan and began to plummet down to the waters below. Beaten and exhausted, he had no strength to warp himself to safety. In mere seconds, he would hit the surface of the water and there would be no way he could survive a fall like that.

 _Titan,_ Gladiolus prayed desperately. _Help me._

And Titan did.

The earth rumbled. A few buildings in the already ruined city of Altissia crumbled from the force. Gladiolus reached out to hold Lunafreya steady as Ardyn struggled to keep his footing. From the middle of the water, the giant rose, rising upwards like an island emerging from the ocean floor. With one hand outstretched, Titan caught the falling prince and held him with a gentleness that seemed impossible for a creature of his appearance and size.

Leviathan turned to Titan and screeched.

"I have not gone mad," Gladiolus heard Titan say. "Leviathan, we may be nigh impervious to the ravages of times, but is it not time to let go? We may take eras to change, but the same cannot be said of humans. The humans of today are not the same as the humans of old."

In response, Leviathan roared, lunging at Titan with her jaws wide open. Titan reared back, used his free hand to form a fist, and swung at the mighty sea serpent, catching her on the side of the face. As Leviathan recoiled, Titan quickly turned to set Noctis down next to the altar before rushing at the Hydrean to grab her before she could recover from such a powerful blow.

Gladiolus and Lunafreya stepped backwards, both of them intending to shield the unconscious Noctis from Ardyn.

"How lovely!" Ardyn smiled. "The Archaean was so kind as to deliver the Chosen King right to me. Now I won't have to go hunting for him."

"Stay away from him," Gladiolus hissed. "And from the Oracle."

"Such threats," Ardyn sighed. "Really, I have no desire to fight you. And I think you don't want to fight me either."

"Wanna bet?"

"Oh, your spirit is certainly willing," Ardyn agreed. "But what of your body? It must take quite a bit of strength and energy to summon an Astral and maintain their physical presence in our world. Can you keep it up _and_ fight me at the same time?" He took a step forward. Gladiolus held his position, but pulled Lunafreya closer to him.

"Try me!" Gladiolus snarled, but he knew Ardyn was right. He can't keep Titan manifested _and_ fight him off at the same time. If continued to keep Titan fighting Leviathan, then Ardyn would beat him eventually. Lunafreya would then be left with no one to protect her and Noctis would be in danger as well. But if he dismissed him, then Leviathan was free to continue her rampage and that put the lives of many people in jeopardy, including Lunafreya and Noctis.

Once again, he found himself in a no win situation. In front of him, Ardyn was advancing slowly, menacingly, _cheerfully_ with the knife in his hand. Behind him, Leviathan was thrashing in Titan's grip, swinging her long tail to strike at his sides.

_"Lunafreya!"_

Ardyn turned at the sound of the war cry as Ravus Nox Fleuret appeared from behind, sword raised and already in a downward swing aimed for Ardyn's back. With a chuckle, the high chancellor stepped to the side, as if he were avoiding a child rushing at him leaving Ravus swiping at nothing but air.

"Ravus," Ardyn said, moving close to whisper in the Niflheim high commander's ear. "What you've just done constitutes an act of treason. Not that anyone is surprised, really. We all saw it coming."

"The real traitor here is you!" Ravus spat, shoving his magitek arm at Ardyn. "Do you think your actions have gone unnoticed?"

"Ravus," Ardyn said again as he grabbed onto the magitek arm, holding it tight. "I have at my mercy the Oracle and the errant Lucian Prince, and here you come swinging that dreadful weapon at my poor, unprotected back. Not to mention the numerous reports we've recieved of you slicing down your own troops today. And you know that I have Emperor Aldercapt's complete confidence. Who do you think he will believe: me or you?"

"Take the Chosen King," Ravus said, saying the words _Chosen King_ with so much disgust he almost looked as if he was going to vomit. "But leave my sister alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Ardyn chuckled as he swung his arm and threw Ravus onto the cobblestone ground. "The Emperor demands the death of the Oracle."

Even from the ground, Ravus pointed his sword at him. "Don't pretend you're any more loyal to Niflheim than I am. I know you're only after your own self interests."

"But I've done such a fine job of it so far," Ardyn smirked as he held out a hand, dark magical energy beginning to form in it. "A pity you have to go like this, Ravus. But don't fret: soon your sister will be joining you and your family can at last be reunited in death. Doesn't that just fill you with joy? It's just too bad, Ravus. You could have lived longer and thrived, but you made a poor decision today and the Tenebraean royal family will die out in the most pathetic fashion." He leaned forward, his arm inching closer and closer to the prone Ravus. "Long live the Niflheim Empire," he sneered.

But before he could reach him, he was interrupted by Gladiolus, ramming into him from the side. With a yell, Gladiolus threw every ounce of strength he had left into body checking Ardyn, shoving him as far away from Ravus as he possibly could.

"You," Ravus said, getting to his feet. "Why?"

"I know what it's like to want to protect your little sister at all costs," Gladiolus said. He knew. Iris' face briefly flashed in his mind, with her bright smile and her airy laughs.

Ravus snorted. "I'll never understand you Lucians. First, that advisor, now you."

"Wait, Iggy?" Gladiolus asked as Ardyn stood up from the ground. "You saw Ignis? Where is he?"

"We were traversing the city together, though I may have left him behind at some point, but he should be arriving any moment now."

"Could really use him right now," Gladiolus muttered. He was fast approaching his limit. Fighting while keeping Titan summoned was going to be nearly impossible, but he had to do it. It was his role to protect. It was his role to die.

"How amusing!" Ardyn laughed. "Are you both that keen to meet your ends? Well, what can I do but oblige your wishes? It was nice knowing you both."

Gladiolus rushed at him, greatsword raised above his head and Ravus did the same. With every swing they made, Ardyn danced around them, artfully dodging every attack that came his way, taunting them with "encouraging" phrases.

"Come now, you can do better than that."

"Is this the best today's youth can truly muster? Our society is doomed."

"I tire of this."

With two decisive, well placed kicks, both Gladiolus and Ravus found themselves on the ground, bodies flat against the cold, wet stone as Ardyn adjusted his hat and shook out his limbs.

"That was wonderful exercise," he quipped. "But time runs short and I'm on a schedule. I'm already woefully behind."

Gladiolus tried to push himself up to no avail. "Don't...don't you dare..."

Ardyn paid him no mind as he crept closer and closer to Lunafreya, brandishing his knife. "I'm so sorry for the distractions, my dear. Now it's just you and me." He swung the knife at her, blade aimed at her throat. Lunafreya stepped back, the knife just barely missing her neck, but catching the necklace she wore around her neck. It snapped open, the ring it held falling to the ground, bouncing once and rolling away past Ardyn, who didn't seem to notice. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be," he called as she ran to Noctis, kneeling down next to him and unwilling to abandon him.

Leviathan bit into Titan's shoulder, causing the Archaean to release her body. Before he could try to grab her again, she dove into the water's surface, circling around Titan like a shark around her prey.

"Leviathan, stop this," Titan said. "Admit the Chosen King has passed your trial."

The only response was a low rumble from beneath the waves. Leviathan increased her speed and Titan struggled to follow her movements. To fight her in the water put him at a severe disadvantage and they both knew it. The only thing he could do was wait for her to strike and counter her.

Ardyn took his time, every step he took deliberate and full of malice as he purposefully approached the Altar of the Tidemother. Even in the low light and the rain, the blade of the knife seemed to flash in his hands.

 _The bastard is enjoying this,_ Gladiolus thought, and still he tried to will himself to stand. But he had already gone beyond his limit and his limbs were nonresponsive. If only he could move. He was just a stone's throw away from Ardyn. If anything, he wanted to at least die first. He glanced over to Ravus, who was in a similar predicament: too injured to stand.

"Lunafreya!" Ravus gasped out, reaching forward uselessly. "Sister..."

Gladiolus was exhausted. Tired. Even his eyelids couldn't seem to stay open. In the distance, he could see Titan's body beginning to fade as Leviathan at last rose up out of the water to face him.

This was it. This would be his greatest moment of failure. Everything he's done up until now: the training, the pact with Titan, even being tested by Gilgamesh, it would all be for nothing.

A shoe blocked his field of vision, splashing lightly in the thin layer of water that had gathered on the Altissian street. Gladiolus used the last of his strength to look up, to squint through the wind and the rain upwards at the newcomer.

"...Ignis?" he whispered.

 _Get out of here,_ he wanted to yell. _Save yourself. I can't let you die here too!_

But those words went unsaid as Titan faded away and as his eyes closed and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this seemed fast paced, truth is that much of what happens between the Regalia Rescue and Altissia is much the same as it happens in game so I decided to fast forward. We will return to a more leisurely pace next chapter.


	5. Gentle/Wrathful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year

The only thing Ignis could think was that the water covered cobblestone streets of Altissia were cool, almost soothing to the touch, a stark contrast to the burning feeling that ravaged his eyes. The torrential rains around him were gentle like a lullaby. The silence around him was deafening with only the sounds of raindrops splattering against the ground and his own labored breaths around him.

This, he realized, was what it was like to die.

Of all the ways to die, Ignis would be lying if lying on the ground in the rain, struggling to even breathe was one he hadn't thought about. He hadn't pictured it happening in beautiful Altissia, though. He hadn't pictured it happening after he had recklessly put the Ring of the Lucii on his finger and ultimately accomplishing nothing with it.

He hadn't pictured it being so pathetic.

The events of the recent past surged through his mind. He remembered getting separated from Gladiolus and Prompto. He remembered storming through the city of Altissia, cutting down every Imperial in his path. He remembered his unlikely alliance with Ravus, the high commander of the Niflheim army. He remembered quite distinctly Ravus' unending complaints and insults towards Noctis as they trekked through the city together.

He remembered calling Ravus useless at one point. That had been fairly effective at shutting him up for a good half hour.

He remembered arriving at the Altar of the Tidemother to find Gladiolus and Ravus both incapacitated and Ardyn approaching the defenseless Lunafreya and Noctis, a knife in his hand and pointed with murderous intent at the Oracle.

He remembered making a dire choice in desperation. He remembered paying a heavy price for nothing.

And now he was there, lying on the ground and unable to see. Unable to move. Unable to do anything but listen to the rain falling all around him as he suffered in agony and waited for death.

A voice cut through the rain, feminine and gentle.

"Child," the voice said.

"Leviathan," he managed to cough out. He didn't have to see her. He didn't need confirmation, he didn't need to see the mighty Hydraean to know it was her. After all, he had heard her before, as he ran through the city in a desperate mad rush to find Noctis. "if you can hear and understand me, please, I beg of you, help Noctis. Help this world."

"And why should I do that?" the voice scoffed, all traces of gentleness washed away in waves. "What has humanity done to deserve salvation?"

"And what has it done to deserve destruction?" Ignis asked, even though he struggled for breath.

"Child," Leviathan said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "You are awfully verbose for someone in your position. You are blind and you are dying, and yet your last pleas are not for your life, but for the lives of others? But to answer your question: everything."

"Why are you so angry with humans?"

For a few seconds, Leviathan was silent. Ignis struggled to cling to consciousness and to life even as he heard distinctly inhuman growls all around him and the touch of many scaled...things nudging against his body.

"Humans are treacherous and dangerous. Ifrit loved humans. He cared for them and gave them many gifts. And what did they do? They betrayed him and he ultimately lost his life. Shiva loved Ifrit, and she had come to share his love of humans. And she was killed as well, by those very humans she loved. Humans cannot be trusted. They take and they lie and they destroy. They...do you really expect me to make the same mistake as Ifrit and Shiva?"

"The actions of Niflheim do not speak for all humans."

Again, there was a brief silence and Ignis could feel what seemed to be claws pawing lightly at his arms. From Leviathan, he could hear what he could only interpret as a low hum of hesitation before the Tidemother spoke again.

"Forge a covenant with me," she said with a sense of urgency. "If you wish to save your life and the life of your king, I can help you."

"I thought you hate humans," Ignis pointed out, even as he could feel his body growing numb.

"I do. I simply do not want _you_ to die," Leviathan said, and it explained nothing. Without waiting for a response, she spoke again. "I, Leviathan, offer you the spirit of the sea itself. The water shall be your domain and the call of magic shall be yours to answer. In return, you will be my herald. You will be my representative, the one who will speak for me and to me in all matters dealing with humans, for I _don't have the patience to deal with your race._ "

Around him, Ignis heard the hisses of what he could only assume were from a group of some kind of beast around him, morbidly thinking his soon-to-be corpse had called some kind of scavenger just waiting for him to breathe his last. Leviathan let out a rumble before continuing.

"To walk the path of Leviathan is to walk the path of hardship. You will endure immense pain that will threaten to destroy you and bear many scars that may never fully heal. Do you accept?"

"Yes," Ignis replied, his voice quiet, but packed with conviction.

"Child, what is your name?"

"Ignis Scientia."

"And what is your other name?" Leviathan asked. "The one your soul held in an era long past?"

Up until that moment, Ignis was unaware he ever had another name, but the moment the question was asked, the answer was in his mind, like a piece of driftwood washed onto the shore. It was the name of the one who had contracted with Leviathan eons ago, a name that he suspected was much more than just simply the name of a divine servant. It was a name that meant something important to Leviathan.

But the name alone did not divulge such secrets. Time was running short, on both the opportunity to save Noctis and Lunafreya and on his life.

"My other name...is Tiresias," he managed to gasp out, his voice hoarse and only barely above a whisper. He was certain that he was taking his last breaths and that the shadow of death loomed over him. "the Abyssgazer."

Ignis opened his eyes.

* * *

The look on Ardyn's face when Ignis stood, flanked on both sides by a pod of sahagin, was one Ignis would treasure for the rest of his life.

"Oh dear," Ardyn said and his expression was just a little bit _worried_. "It seems I've spent a little too much time fooling around."

"Ignis Scientia, Incarnation of Tiresias, I bestow upon you the title of Abyssgazer," Leviathan roared as her body began to fade, and instead of anger, it was a joyful sound that filled Ignis with determination and strength and an incredible urge to act. "Be as gentle as babbling brook and as wrathful as a mighty maelstrom. This spirit is yours to embrace as you desire."

"Get away from them," Ignis snarled. The sahagin at his side opened their jaws and hissed, including a smaller juvenile that looked a bit less fearsome among all the fully grown adults.

Ardyn raised both of his hands, the knife clearly visible in his right hand. "Now, now, there's no need to be so _angry_ about it." He took a careful step forward, towards Ignis and away from Noctis and Lunafreya. "Would you perhaps believe me if I said I don't mean your king any harm?"

"No, and I don't particularly care," Ignis answered, glaring at him through the wet, sandy hair that had fallen over his eyes. He didn't trust Ardyn to tell him anything but lies and half-truths. "One false move and I will tear you apart." To emphasize his point, his daggers were in his hands, gripped firmly in a reverse grip and ready to strike.

"Have patience, I'm going," Ardyn replied, sounding far too cheerful for a man who was being threatened. As he passed by Ignis he paused to whisper, "I know better than to pick a fight with Leviathan's favored on her hallowed ground. Consider yourself fortunate." He continued on, giving a lazy wave as Ignis continued to watch him through the bangs of hair that had fallen over his eyes. "By the way, may I just say, horns and a tail are a good look on you. It makes you...dangerous. I'll be keeping my eye on you."

"Get out, Izunia."

"You should just kill him now," Leviathan grumbled.

As tempting as the idea was, he wouldn't. It was still too precarious of a situation. Ignis was too concerned that if he attacked Ardyn now, Ardyn would harm his friends and their safety always came first. As much as he wanted to take the opportunity to dole out punishment to Ardyn for daring to hurt and threaten his loved ones, he held off. If allowing Ardyn to leave unscathed was the price for protecting Noctis and everyone else from further harm, then he would pay it.

He had been paying prices all day. What was one more?

"How disappointing," Leviathan commented. "You should have at least maimed him. Made him fear you."

Once Ardyn was gone, Ignis' first instinct was to see to Noctis, who was being tended to by Lunafreya. The prince was still unconscious, but otherwise safe. Any injuries on his body were ones he had gotten during his duel with Leviathan.

"Lady Lunafreya, how is he?"

Lunafreya had a hand on Noctis' arm, enveloping his body with a soft glow of light. "He's fine. He just needs some rest." Next, he went to Gladiolus, giving his friend a once over. He was injured and soaked with water, but the worst danger he was probably in was danger of catching a cold. Kneeling down, Ignis reached out with a hand to gently shake him, hoping he would wake.

Stirring, Gladiolus opened his eyes. "Iggy?" He blinked, eyes focusing on Ignis before going wide with surprise as he quickly pieced together what must have happened between Ignis and Leviathan. "Shit, Iggy, did you-"

"Never mind that," Ignis interrupted. Now was not the time to talk about him. "Can you stand?"

Grunting in reply, Gladiolus did, even if it took some effort. He stretched out his arms, wincing in pain as he did so before using a hand to wring the water out of his hair, even though rain still fell all around them.

And then there was-

"You look ridiculous."

-Ravus.

Ignis sighed visibly, narrowing his eyes before turning to Ravus, who had managed to sit up. "I'm glad you're safe too, Ravus," he replied in his most deadpan voice before offering the petulant former prince of Tenebrae a hand to help him to his feet. Ravus glared at the offered hand for a few seconds, as if he suspected it of being a trap before finally taking it.

"Don't think you're better than me just because you're part fish now," Ravus grumbled, shooting him a half-hearted glare that was anything but threatening.

"You're welcome for saving your sister," Ignis responded, rolling his eyes. "And please do not refer to the Hydraean that way. She has quite the temper and by virtue of my contract with her, I will not stand for any insults towards her."

"Yes, well, we still have a problem to deal with," Ravus scoffed, changing the subject and gesturing to the Altissian skyline, or what was left of it. What had been beautiful districts were half destroyed. Smoke rose from buildings, and Imperial dropships still hovered in the air. "I doubt I have any sway over the Niflheim army anymore."

"Ignis!"

Both Ravus and Ignis turned their heads to see Prompto running at full speed towards them, skidding to a stop a few feet away and sending some water flying, splashing onto Ravus' coat. Ravus looked upset, even though his clothes were already completely soaked and Ignis just attributed it to him just looking for reasons to be angry. Prompto looked from Ignis to Ravus to back and seemed to be having trouble understanding what he was seeing and how to properly react to it.

"Ignis, you're-! Um..."

"Prompto," Ignis smiled, forgetting entirely about Ravus in favor of fussing over his friend, examining him for injuries. By what appeared to be a minor miracle, Prompto had gotten out relatively well, escaping the battle with minor scrapes and cuts that would heal quickly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright," Prompto answered. "But, uh, you don't look so good yourself." He started to fuss back, eyes scanning Ignis' face. Mutual fussing, as it were. "Jeez, what happened to you?"

Ignis swallowed, and decided to lie. "Nothing aside from entering a covenant with Leviathan," he said. Lying to Prompto felt terrible and he knew that Prompto would know he was hiding something, but right now, Noctis was the priority. He couldn't have Prompto giving him concern and worry. "Noct is still unconscious and Gladio is in no shape to carry him alone. Can you help him?"

Behind him, Ravus coughed, offended he had been forgotten. Ignis ignored him. He didn't trust Ravus to not "accidentally" drop Noctis into the sea because he knew that was just the sort of thing Ravus would do.

Prompto clicked his tongue, clearly displeased at Ignis' answer to his question, but understanding that there were more important matters at hand. "Sure, but what are you going to do?"

Ignis took a step past him, doing his best to try to not look unsteady on his feet. His foot nudged something and looking down, Ignis saw his glasses, the lenses cracked but the frames still in their proper shape. He reached down to pick them up, putting them on his face. The cracks should have bothered him and they would under normal circumstances, but he found himself barely noticing them. "Expel the Imperial army."

And before Prompto could try to stop him, he was gone, leaving only the splashes of puddles in his wake.

* * *

Without a proper commander, the magitek troopers were disorganized. Altissian forces were engaging them, but it was still a stalemate of a battle. As part of their submission to the Niflheim Empire, much of Accordo's military forces were dissolved leaving just enough to keep the country functional, but unable to be any kind of threat whatsoever.

"Water can hurt if used with enough force," Leviathan advised, and she was right. A single wave would wash a dozen magitek troopers out to sea or crush them against a stone wall. A well placed dagger would take care of any that remained and Ignis felt a sense of satisfaction whenever a magitek trooper would fall to him.

Ignis moved through the city with a purpose: to remove any and all Imperial presence from Altissia, from the Tidemother's sacred city. Noctis would not be safe until every last trooper was driven out or destroyed.

"Drown them all."

He didn't know if that was Leviathan's voice or his own and he found that he didn't care. Regardless, sahagin and seadevils emerged from the water's depths, attacking the magitek troopers. Some would crush them in their jaws. Others would drag them beneath the waves. The young juvenile from before followed at Ignis' feet faithfully like a dog. Altissians, both civilian and military, whispered to each other at the sight of him.

By the time he was done, a couple hours had passed, and he could hardly stand. The rain hadn't let up at all and Ignis, for some reason, thought it was comforting. Maybe for the same reason that he didn't mind the wet clothes that clung to his body.

"You've pushed yourself too hard," Leviathan chided, her voice concerned and mildly judgmental. It was a similar voice to the one Ignis would use with Noctis and Prompto whenever he was upset with them. To have it turned on himself was quite the new experience. He realized that he didn't like it in the least.

"I can see that," Ignis replied, not in the mood to be lectured by a sea serpent. Unfortunately for him, Leviathan did not care what he wanted and proceeded to lecture him.

"Cease. I did not save your life only to watch you work yourself to death."

"Why did you save me?" Ignis asked as he came across one of the many statues of Leviathan that adorned Altissia's streets. It was roughly the size of himself, depicting the Astral reared up, her fins forward as if she were trying to hold something with them. Ignis ran a hand across the stone statue before sitting beneath it, the fins providing inadequate shelter from the rain, but it was better than nothing. He looked up into the grey sky through the cracked lenses of his glasses, feeling the gentle splatter of rain upon his face. "You could have just let me die. In fact, this arrangement seems to bring no benefit to you. What is special about me?"

"You should stop channeling my power," Leviathan said, and it didn't escape Ignis' notice that she was dodging his question. "Your enemies have been vanquished."

Ignis curled his serpentine tail around himself. It was identical to Leviathan's, blue in color and adorned with fish fins. "Answer my question."

"No," Leviathan said, raising her voice, and Ignis nearly jumped from the volume. "I decide whether or not to answer your questions and you have no right to demand any answers from me."

"Why not?" Ignis asked as he cut himself off from Leviathan's power, the tail vanishing into lingering sparks of magic before melting away. He ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to push it out of his eyes, but it simply moved back down to its natural place, weighed down by water. "Surely as your herald I should strive to understand you as deeply as my feeble mortal mind possibly can."

"Because I said so."

He could laugh. In fact, he did. It was such a petty reply from what was supposed to be such a powerful and godlike being he didn't know how to respond to it aside from laughter. One thing was certain, however, and that was Leviathan refused to give him a straight answer on what exactly it is about him that she saw that deemed him different from other humans.

"Now rest," Leviathan said, and her voice was almost affectionate and if Ignis imagined it hard enough, it was almost like that voice could give him a gentle, soothing touch. It was a marvel how she could seemingly switch between moods so quickly and effortlessly. Perhaps that was why she embodied water, the substance that gave and took life on a whim.

The juvenile sahagin that had been following him this entire time nudged his side with its snout. Ignis reached out with a hand to stroke its head and it cooed at him happily and suddenly, he realized that he was tired. Very tired.

"Rest," Leviathan repeated, and Ignis found himself unable to do anything but listen to her. The last thing he remembered seeing was Leviathan's statue looking back down at him with an expression that he would only realize later was kindness.

* * *

When Ignis awoke, he was in a hotel bed, looking up at the ceiling. He groaned and moved to sit up, his body fighting the action the entire time. He was only able to accomplish it through sheer force of will and even after sitting upright, he found himself wanting nothing more than to flop back down into the bed's tender embrace.

"Morning."

Sitting in a chair next to the bed was Prompto, who had his phone in one hand and looked overjoyed to see him. Tapping at the screen one last time, Prompto put his phone aside in favor of giving Ignis a once over and Ignis would have tried to get away from Prompto's hands had he anywhere he could go.

"It's three in the afternoon," Ignis said, glancing at the clock on the nightstand sitting next to his spare, unbroken glasses, and the action alone made him feel exhausted all over again.

"Yeah, you've been out for a while," Prompto said, sitting back in the chair once he was finished violating Ignis' personal space. "Man, what were you thinking? Me and Gladio were worried sick about you. Noct's fine, by the way. Still sleeping. Gladio and Lady Lunafreya are with him."

Ignis tried to get out of bed even as Prompto protested the action, saying that he needed more rest, and as he did he nearly tripped over something quite large. Looking down, he saw the young sahagin that had been following him around the entire city of Altissia.

"Oh, right, that thing," Prompto sighed. "It seems to like you. You know how hard it was to convince them to let it in here? Even if we tried to lock it out it would just sit at the door."

"Her."

"Excuse me?"

"She is female. Her name is Tethys."

Prompto looked somewhat skeptical, then decided to just accept it with a shrug. "Tethys, tell Iggy to go back to bed." However, because Prompto could speak only to equines, his pleas went unanswered. Tethys simply remained unmoving on the floor, content to be a trip hazard. "Alright, fine. Ignore me. I bet spiracorns are better conversationalists anyway."

There was a knock at the door and Prompto got up to answer it, but not before pushing Ignis gently until he was seated back on the bed. Gladiolus entered the room, followed by Lunafreya and Ravus.

"Ignis!" Lunafreya cried out as soon as she saw the man in question. "Oh, Ignis, I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried about you! After you put on the ring, I...I thought..."

Gladiolus held up a hand. "Wait. Back up a second here. Are we talking about _the_ ring? The Ring of the Lucii?" What had once been a look of relief and happiness turned to a frown as he glared at Ignis. "You put on the ring?"

Ignis refused to look back at him. "It was the only way to save Noct."

"You didn't tell me that!" Prompto cut in, sounding hurt, and Ignis couldn't bring himself to look at the blond's face. "Is that what happened to your face?"

" _Ardyn_ happened," Ignis corrected, although Prompto was right when it came to the largest of the scars, the one that had settled over his left eye. "And thanks to the grace of the Tidemother, I am none the worse for wear."

"That doesn't change the fact that you did a very stupid thing," Ravus pointed out, and Ignis gave him a dirty look to which he was given a smug smirk in return. It was just like Ravus to do that.

Gladiolus shook his head. "Yeah, sorry, Iggy, but I gotta agree with High Commander Stick-Up-His-Ass here." He paused to let Ravus get out a sound of protest and Ignis felt a deep sense of betrayal from his friend. Gladiolus was going to take _Ravus'_ side? Ravus Nox Fleuret, the man who had triggered an identity crisis in him? "That wasn't your finest idea. And what if Leviathan couldn't fix you, huh? You'd be dead and I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of telling Noct that his advisor died because he put on the goddamn Ring of the Lucii."

"Please do not fight," Lunafreya said, effectively halting any argument that was about to erupt. "The last thing we need is division among us. What's done is done. Ignis, while it was reckless of you to put on the ring, doing so saved me and Noctis. What you did was noble, and I want to thank you for what you did. Ravus has something he wants to say too, don't you?"

Ravus whined, looking away.

"Ravus?" Lunafreya prompted, going to her brother and forcing him to look at her. "What is it that you would like to say to Ignis?"

There was another whine before Ravus gave into his sister's prodding. "Thank...you. Scientia."

Lunafreya giggled before taking both of Ravus' hands into her own and giving them affectionate squeezes. "See? That wasn't so difficult, was it?"

Ravus muttered things about Lucians and how humiliating it was to have to be saved by one and Ignis decided to pay him no more heed after that because in their short time together, he had learned that it's best to let Ravus complain until he ran out of things to complain about.

He was not unlike Noctis in that sense, although Ignis suspected that neither Ravus nor Noctis would like the implication that they had something in common. Maybe that was why, even though Ravus was difficult and annoying, Ignis found himself somewhat fond of the disagreeable man.

He wondered if this was just a trait that all princes shared.

* * *

It was hard to consider the operation in Altissia a success. While it was true that everyone was alive and well and the Empire had been driven out, the truth of the matter was that they hadn't exactly accomplished what they set out to do. It was becoming a running theme these days and Ignis couldn't be entirely surprised that this had happened. Ever since leaving Insomnia, most things hadn't gone their way and this was no exception.

All they could do now was regain their bearings and wait for Noctis to wake up. Everyone kept themselves busy by helping the people of Altissia whenever they can, whether that involved handing out relief supplies, moving debris, or helping someone reunite with their loved ones. It was, Ignis found, surprisingly rewarding work, even though he felt uneasy that the citizens would watch him with something akin to a sort of reverence.

It was unnerving. He wasn't fond of the attention. It wasn't his place to be at the center of attention. He was simply an attendant to the heir to the Lucian throne...

...was what he would like to say the case was, but Ignis knew it was no longer true. The Altissians held Leviathan in the highest regard and he was her chosen servant. It was only logical that they would react this way even though he wished they wouldn't. It was a fact he couldn't hide, a fact that was on display for all the world to see, proclaimed by the horns on his head and the young tame sahagin that attached herself to him.

"Are you going to keep her?" Prompto had asked.

"Not the weirdest thing I've seen," Gladiolus said, nonchalantly.

"She's cute," Lunafreya had commented.

"Get your pet lizard away from me," Ravus grumbled.

Whenever he was alone, Ignis would talk to Leviathan, but the Tidemother was a poor conversation partner. She would either nag him or speak affectionately to him with seemingly no in between and despite her actions saying otherwise, she continued to insist that she hated humans and didn't care about their impending crisis. She pointedly ignored every single one of his questions on why she seemed to consider him an exception to that supposed hatred.

It was frustrating to know something, but not everything.

The next day, Noctis awoke. Ignis had been in the room watching over him when he did and quickly summoned the others so they could greet him.

"It's kind of weird for all of you to be crowding around me like this," he said, taking in the sight of everyone gathered around the bed. "I'm fine. Really." He stopped suddenly and Ignis realized that Noctis was staring at him. He stared at the scars on his face and then at the horns on his head that were quite obviously miniature versions of Leviathan's. "Ignis. Explain. Now."

Reluctantly, Ignis told him about putting on the Ring of the Lucii and his subsequent covenant with Leviathan and how he _may_ have gone overboard with his actions, a comment that earned him a scoff from Gladiolus.

"Ignis," Noctis said, getting out of the bed and marching up to Ignis until the two of them were face-to-face. "I...you..."

And then Noctis drew back his arm, formed a fist, and punched Ignis in the jaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A second version of this chapter exists and I had to choose between the two of them. This is the one that won out in the end.


	6. Movement of the World

The moment Noctis' fist collided with Ignis' jaw, it was as if time had slowed down to a crawl for Prompto. The sound seemed to echo and linger in the air, loud and almost painful to hear. All around them, everyone stared with wide eyes and slack jaws.

And then time returned to its normal pace.

"Noct?" Ignis asked, one hand on his jaw and his eyes looking down at the young king with shock and fear.

An eternity of silence hung between them and Prompto looked rapidly from Noctis to Ignis and back again, unsure of who he should be watching. He could hardly believe what he was seeing and his mind replayed the past few seconds over and over again on repeat, but no matter how many times it did, the memory didn't become any less incomprehensible.

"That," Noctis said, voice low and barely containing what was unmistakably boiling anger. "was for being stupid." His eyes narrowed as he stared Ignis right in the eyes. "I don't care what kind of danger I was in. You shouldn't have done that, Ignis! You could have died! You probably did die and Leviathan just happened to be nice enough to bring you back to life!"

"Noct, please," Ignis said, and even though he was the taller of the two, at that moment, he seemed very small. "It's important that you remain unharmed-"

"No!" Noctis yelled, cutting him off. "Not if it means you die! Enough people are already dead because of me! It's your job to help and guide me, Ignis, you can't do that if you're dead!"

"Noctis, please," Ignis tried again. "You are the rightful king of Lucis. You need-"

"Stop," Noctis interrupted once again. "Stop. I don't want to hear that. Can you just not think about duty or protocol or anything else like that for one second?"

Ignis shook his head. "I understand that, Noct, but when it comes down to it, if I must sacrifice everything for you, I will, and no words from you can change that."

"So you don't care," Noctis said, his expression cold. "You don't care that I need you...I _want_ you alive and well?"

"That is not-"

"Leave me alone," Noctis hissed. "And not just you. Can everyone just like, go? I need to be by myself."

Prompto was the last one out the room and when he closed the door, he heard a scream of frustration from the other side.

* * *

"Knock knock," Prompto said, poking his head into Ignis' hotel room while rapping his knuckles on the door. The man in question was seated on his hotel bed with his back to Prompto, presumably staring out of the large glass doors that led out to a balcony. "Hey, Iggy, just wanted to check on you."

When Ignis turned to look at him, Prompto expected him to not look like his usual perfect self, but he hadn't expected him to be downright exhausted, as if he had just gone several days without sleep. And perhaps he hadn't, in a way. He hadn't looked very restful when Prompto and Gladiolus found him at the base of a statue of Leviathan, led there by Tethys, who had clamped onto Prompto's vest with her jaws much to his terror and pulled until they followed her to him, and it seems like the hours he spent asleep afterwards did nothing to help.

"Can I come in?" Prompto asked.

"Please do," Ignis said with a nod. "I'd like to listen to something other than Leviathan's criticisms of how I handled that spectacle just now." He let out a sigh as if he were a teenager sick of being lectured by his parent. "You can't solve every problem with anger and violence, Tidemother."

When Ignis nodded, Prompto entered the room, stepped carefully over a sleeping Tethys, and sat down next to Ignis on the bed. "Look, Noct was just mad. You probably know this, but he says a lot of things he doesn't mean when he's angry. He doesn't really think you don't care about him. Just give him a few hours and he'll forgive you."

"I know you're right," Ignis said, but he didn't look any happier because of it. "It's simply just...he's never been so angry with me before. Annoyed, but never truly furious. I'm afraid I don't know what to do with myself right now." Ignis forced himself to laugh weakly. "Though perhaps he is right. I always busy myself with what I think is best for Noct. Rarely do I ever ask him his opinion on the matter. It's been that way since we were children."

"Well, I get the feeling that Noct isn't exactly the go getter type," Prompto said, trying to lighten the mood in the room. "I've seen the way you have to practically drag him from place to place. You spend every moment every day trying to do what's best for him."

"And therein lies the problem," Ignis said. "Noct is my primary concern at all times. He is my life. But I'm well aware that skews my perspective on many things. And now that he's locked me out, at least temporarily, I feel lost and alone and I can't help but wonder if I've been doing things wrong this entire time."

Prompto would like to say that he didn't know how that felt, living your entire life for someone else, but he knew that was wrong. He spent years focused on the singular goal of getting himself to a state where he felt that he could befriend Noctis and once he did that, worried constantly about maintaining a good relationship with him and by extension, Ignis and Gladiolus. There was a small, constant fear deep inside his gut that one day, he would be rejected by them and his life would be shattered into a million tiny pieces, unable to be repaired.

He was almost certain that horrible fear was what Ignis was feeling right at that very moment.

"It's not the end of the world," he said instead. "Just be more considerate of what Noct wants in the future. And hey, if he gets mad at you again, you can hang out with me until he cools down."

A laugh sounded throughout the room. "Yes, you're right," Ignis said, smiling. "Thank you, Prompto."

But as Prompto left the room, he saw that smile instantly melt away the moment Ignis thought he wasn't watching.

* * *

"Prompto, may I speak with you?"

Prompto nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around to see Lunafreya standing behind him. "Oh! Uh, h-hello, Lady Lunafreya! How may I help you?"

Lunafreya laughed. "No need to be so formal, I just wanted to talk. Please, call me Luna."

Briefly, Prompto wondered if it was really okay for him to call her that. That was Noctis' nickname for her right? He was pretty sure that everyone else was to call her by her full name. Then again, he could have sworn he heard a passerby call her "Lady Luna" once.

For years, Prompto has held one lofty goal close to his heart: meeting Lunafreya. He thought about it often. Imagined it. Dreamed about it. Planned it all out in his head. And now that the moment he was waiting for had finally arrived, he found his mind emptier than a cactaur's stare. If Lunafreya noticed, she drew no attention to it.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you," she said. "I'm sorry it's taken me a few days to greet you properly, but I think you understand why." She stepped closer to him and Prompto consciously rooted himself to his spot as she did. She stared right up at his face and into his eyes, taking in all of his features. "You're much better looking than Noctis implied you were."

The words sent him over the moon, so to speak. To be complimented by the Oracle, a woman he's long idolized, was more than he had ever dared to hope for and Prompto's grin was wide and bright before immediately turning into a frown as Lunafreya's words truly sank into his brain. "Wait, what has Noct been telling you about me?"

"I'm afraid that's between him and me," Lunafreya giggled. "You'll have to ask him yourself."

Prompto muttered some choice words under his breath, unwilling to say them aloud in such pleasant company, then changed the subject. "By the way, how's your dog?" As if on cue, said dog came trotting by as if she came out of nowhere. She had changed a lot since Prompto last saw her. She was a fully grown dog now, pudgy puppy fat having given way to sleek muscles. One thing remained the same, however, and that was the fact that she still looked perfectly huggable with her white coat of fur.

"Hey, buddy!" he said, kneeling down to greet her. Pryna's mouth opened, tongue lolling out and tail wagging as she picked up the pace to all but jump in his waiting arms. He laughed as she headbutted his chest and licked his face, giving out friendly sounds and sniffing him all over. "Who's a good girl? You are! Remember me?"

Lunafreya joined in, leaning forward to pet her dog. "She most certainly does, as have I. I've been waiting a long time for the moment I could meet you in person."

Prompto paused for the briefest of moments, not quite believing what he was hearing. However, he recovered quickly, focusing his hands on the tasks of rubbing Pryna's neck and scratching beneath her chin. "Yeah? Well, I'm here now, so let's make the most of it. Wanna hear some hilarious stories about Noct? Guaranteed to be things he wouldn't have told you in that notebook of yours."

* * *

The next day, Noctis had forgiven Ignis enough to talk to him again, but it was plain as day to everyone that things weren't back to normal yet. Noctis, being Noctis, was awkward around his advisor while Ignis seemed to be afraid of his charge and even avoided him a few times. As much as Prompto didn't like seeing the two of them like that, he knew it was not something that he could fix and instead spent time with both of them separately.

Ignis took Prompto up on his offer to spend time with him. They did normal activities together, but Prompto couldn't help but notice subtle changes that changed the entire mood like a filter on his camera. Ignis moved a little slower. He was sometimes distracted during their conversations, and his attempts at hiding these things from Prompto were poor at best. It was worrying, but once in a while, Ignis would give him a genuine smile and that made Prompto happy to know that he was the cause of those smiles.

A few days passed and Noctis and Ignis apparently made up enough to be mostly comfortable around each other again, but Prompto could tell that the dynamic between them had changed, hopefully for the better. Ignis continued to seek out his company and Prompto found that he liked this new addition to his days. Quality time with Ignis. Great for bonding and educational. It was a nice way to pass the time while they were stuck in Altissia.

Eventually, the chaos of the Rite of Leviathan finally settled down at last and Altissia was in a state of rebuilding. Even with many of its buildings destroyed, it still somehow looked beautiful and Prompto would capture many shots of the sun peeking through the rubble or children playing in the ruined streets. Opinions were mixed. While some citizens were unhappy with what had happened to their beloved city, others saw it as an acceptable price to pay in return of the awakening of their patron goddess and as a means of standing up to the Niflheim Empire.

"We will rebuild," Camelia Claustra, First Secretary of Accordo said in a speech that was broadcast live across the world. "Let it be known that from this day forward, Accordo no longer bows to Niflheim." Her words had sparked movement across her people. Those in favor of her choice geared themselves up for defiance while those loyal to the Empire or feared its might fled the country, leaving in droves for Tenebrae and beyond. For the first time in months, Prompto found himself in safe territory. How long it would remain safe, no one knew, but even just a day without having to worry about if they'd be ambushed by Imperial troops was a blessing from the Astrals.

Speaking of which, his conversatons with Ramuh were surprisingly nice. Ramuh never bothered him much, but always answered whenever Prompto wanted to speak with him. The topics ranged from serious, like current events, to more casual, like why Ramuh favored the equine family of monsters.

"What was Bellerophon like?" Prompto asked once.

"Bright and inquisitive," Ramuh answered. "He was an ideal student who helped me study the movement of the world, from the stars in the sky to the paths of rivers. He was a bottomless well of questions and ever thirsty for knowledge. That would be his undoing. He sought knowledge that no being, human or otherwise, should ever know and had to be struck down."

When Prompto asked what that knowledge was, Ramuh simply told him that was not something he should concern himself with.

* * *

A week later, they were graced by the presence of Cor Leonis, who had been brought across the sea by Cid in King Regis' speedboat. Now that Accordo was going to formally enter a resistance against Niflheim, it was going to need all the help it could get. While Accordo saw record numbers of able bodied men and women enlisting in its armed forces after the announcement of independence, the country was in no shape to go on the offensive against the juggernaut that was the Imperial army. Fortunately, with the desertion of Ravus and the death of Caligo Ulldor, Niflheim's army was in disarray for while they had plenty of infantry in magitek soldiers, they had little in terms of commanders.

And while Accordo had a small army, Lucis had one Crown Prince (King? What was Noctis' official title now anyway?), a handful of Crownsguard, and some scattered Kingsglaive. Which meant by default, Prompto was now suddenly a high ranking official in the Lucian "army."

"Congratulations on the promotion," Cor said, placing a friendly hand on Prompto's shoulder. "You've earned it."

Prompto wasn't sure he did.

The next few weeks were spent getting Accordo into fighting shape so that it could defend itself if Niflheim decided to attack. Everyone had a role to play and Prompto's was giving newly enlisted soldiers a crash course on how to use firearms of all types. Normally, this kind of instruction took months to go through, but time was short. He was far from a natural instructor, but he was patient and had a knack for putting things in terms the average layman could understand. Some truly excellent sharpshooters emerged from his classes, and he tried really, really, hard to not cry when they became good enough to train and improve on their own. He was not always successful.

In an impressive amount of time, Accordo pulled itself a military force that stood a chance of winning a defensive fight against the Empire. They would have to use less conventional means of warfare, but war was war. That meant it was time to plan their next move. Intelligence suggested that there was a royal tomb nearby, for the Kings of Lucis rested not just in the kingdom, but across the entire world. The obvious answer was to go retrieve it.

"What are we going to do after that?" Gladiolus asked as they all gathered in Noctis' rather spacious hotel suite. "We can't just sit here on our asses waiting for Niflheim to attack. Right now, they're weak and we can repel any attacks they try to make, but once they get their act back together, they're going to come crush Accordo."

"We've been gifted a rare opportunity," Ignis pointed out. "As you said, Niflheim has been weakened. It may be possible for us to make some gains in this war."

"Like taking back Lucis?" Noctis asked, looking blatantly hopeful.

Cor shook his head, dashing those hopes in an instant. "There's still too many Imperials in Lucis for us to handle, and even if we did manage to take back some territory, it'll be very difficult to defend. We're here in Altissia. Lucis is across the sea. And we can't ask Accordo to send troops there to defend it; they need every soldier they have here."

Prompto crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. So, they couldn't go back home just yet. If they couldn't go to Lucis, then maybe they should head the opposite direction. "What about Tenebrae? What's it like over there?"

To answer his question, Ravus shot a glare at Noctis. "My people have suffered under Imperial rule these past several years. Currently, it is ruled by a Niflheim official with just a bare bones occupying force in the country."

"Sounds like a perfect target," Gladiolus said.

"A covert mission might work," Cor agreed. "Overthrow the one in charge and Niflheim will lose its hold on Tenebrae."

"Then it's settled," Noctis said, glaring back at Ravus. "We liberate Tenebrae."

* * *

When they first left Altissia on a train heading in the general direction of Tenebrae, Prompto was in reasonably high spirits. The ride was pleasant enough, even if the train cars were a little cramped. Everything was made much more bearable with his friends plus one Oracle (who was also a friend) and one Ravus.

When they discovered that the royal tomb was in an abandoned mining quarry that had since turned into a waterlogged, monster infested, bug riddled quagmire, those spirits came crashing down to the ground.

"Why couldn't I have stayed topside with Luna?" he whined as trudged through knee high water. The feeling of wet clothes was unpleasant at best, but when it was muddy, gross bog water? It was torture. That must have been why whoever was entombed in this place chose it. It was the perfect location, for it was too much of a disgusting pain for any would be tomb robbers to get through. His only comfort was the fact that the seadevil population left them alone.

"Quit bitching," Gladiolus grumbled, his patience thin. "None of us like this place. 'Cept maybe Iggy."

Ahead of them, Ignis seemed to be perfectly fine and completely unhindered by the pools of water they had to cross.

"I'll have you know I do not enjoy this place in the least," Ignis said, having heard them. "The fact of the matter is the sooner we get through, the sooner we can leave."

The tomb itself was guarded by a monster called a malboro, a creature that was hell incarnate. Ignis managed to kill it by throwing fire magic into its mouth, but the price of victory was far too great in Prompto's opinion. The next morning, they emerged with the royal arm added to the Armiger and a reek so bad that Ravus demanded they each shower no less than three times before he would allow them within ten feet of himself and Lunafreya, much less board the next train to Tenebrae.

The plan to free Tenebrae was simple and rather vague due to the fact that the traveling party of six would need to assess the situation in Tenebrae before they could come up a solid approach. They were to arrive in the country and gather as much information as they could on the state of things, gather any allies they could, then make a move.

Prompto wanted to spend the next day relaxing, firmly believing he earned it after the ordeal in the mines. He chatted with Lunafreya, who was quickly becoming his gossip buddy and entertained Noctis however he could. He pestered Gladiolus about whatever books he was reading and Ravus was as cold and unsociable as ever.

The train had stopped at a station and while they were waiting for it to get moving again, he was having a nice, pleasant chat with Ignis, talking about inconsequential things as if they weren't planning to infiltrate Empire territory and attempt to take control of it.

"Hey, this is gonna sound weird and like, a little creepy," Prompto said.

"Dare I ask what's crossed your mind?" Ignis asked, raising an eyebrow.

With only the slightest bit of hesitation, Prompto asked, "Can I touch your horns?"

"No," was the immediate answer, punctuated by the train suddenly jolting, nearly throwing Prompto from his seat. Before he could ask what had just happened, the train rocked again, this time with even more force, and Prompto _did_ fall from his seat. He looked past Ignis towards the window and his eyes widened as he saw a formation of magitek troopers marching towards the train. It was only a single contingent of them, but there were definitely enough to put the train and its passengers in danger.

Did the Empire know what they were doing? Had someone on the train tipped them off? Or was Niflheim just indiscriminately attacking civilians now? In the end, the reason didn't matter. What mattered was protecting the people and getting the train moving again. Several people fled, running in all directions while others ducked down beneath the windows or hid in cabins, hoping they would remain safe.

Loading his gun with bullets and checking to make sure his machinery were all in working order, Prompto put his rigorous Crownsguard training to use, picking off a few troopers before ducking back into cover until he found more chances to attack. Gladiolus and Ravus hopped out of the train to form a two man defensive line whose main goal was to prevent any enemies from reaching the train assisted by Lunafreya, who used her unique talents to heal them of wounds and create magical barriers to repel both troopers and their gunfire. Any enemy that somehow managed to get too close to her was met with the Trident of the Oracle impaling its body. Noctis and Ignis went on the offensive, using their talents in movement and agility to hop in and out of battle, destroying as many magitek troopers as possible.

Once the last trooper was destroyed, the train was damaged, but otherwise fine. When it started moving again, Prompto collapsed into the nearest empty seat, fully intending to take a nap. But as his eyes started to flutter closed, he was just able to make out the edge of a familiar trench coat in the edge of his vision, disappearing into the car ahead of him. Without thinking, he was back on his feet, wide awake, and making his way to the next train car where again, he saw the fabric of the trench coat drifting into the next train car. This continued a few more times until he saw the trench coat going not forward into the next car, but up the ladder outside the car. Taking a deep breath, he followed to find his suspicions confirmed.

"Ardyn!" he called out, summoning his gun.

"Oh dear, I've been caught," Ardyn mused, putting his hands into the air and sounding completely relaxed. "Whatever shall I do?"

"Can it," Prompto said, training his gun directly onto Ardyn's infuriating smug face. He took a step forward. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

Ardyn shrugged, keeping his hands in the air. "I am simply on my way to Tenebrae, just like you. Are you saying I can't be here? I don't think you have the authority to decide that." Prompto blinked, and suddenly Ardyn was right beside him. On instinct, he turned to place his gun mere inches away from Ardyn's forehead. Again, Ardyn seemed to be completely unconcerned about the firearm in his face. "I'll have you know this is _public_ transportation."

Prompto was just a second away from pulling the trigger on his gun when he heard his name being yelled out. He turned just in time to see Noctis warping straight towards him and feeling a pair of hands on his chest and the next thing Prompto realized, he was falling, falling, falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's my last day of break. Sad times.


	7. The Problems of Being a Prince

Noctis fumbled with his phone, hands shaking as he struggled to unlock it and find Ignis' number on his contacts, shoving his finger at the call button and missing it twice before he managed to it it. Each ring seemed to take a lifetime and with each passing second, he repeatedly begged Ignis to pick up the other end until at last, it was finally answered.

"What do you _mean_ "Prompto fell off the train!?"" Ignis demanded, yelling so loudly Noctis would have sworn that he heard him shout all the way from the other end of the train. Noctis explained what had happened: he had been tricked by Ardyn into pushing Prompto off the top of the moving train and they had to stop the train. They had to go back and get him.

Ignis had gone silent and Noctis would have thought he hung up were it not for the sound of moving train cars coming through the speaker and the fact that his phone screen showed they were still connected. At last, a weary "We...we can't stop the train, Noct," came over the line and Noctis knew it to be the choice they had to make. The safety of the civilians on the train came first and the train needed to get to Tenebrae. It was not fair for them to put the lives of over one hundred innocent people at risk to find a single person, even if that person was the prince's best friend in the entire world.

The possibility that they would lose someone in their tight knit foursome was always there. Prompto was a trained soldier who was directly responsible for Noctis' safety. He knew the risks of the Crownsguard before joining, but never in either of their imaginations did they ever think something like this would happen. Prompto was gone and it was Noctis' fault.

With a single glance out the window at the landscape, Noctis closed his eyes and prayed with all of his heart to Ramuh to protect his friend.

By the time the train pulled into Tenebrae, Noctis had changed his mind. They should have stopped and gone back for Prompto. One hundred people were one hundred people, but Prompto was _Prompto_ , not one of a mass of faceless, nameless people. As the civilians shuffled by, Noctis refused to look at them, choosing to instead sulk in his seat until they were all off the train.

"Noct?" he heard Ignis' voice say. "It's time to disembark the train."

Without a word, Noctis stood and pushed past him, shoving him to the side.

"The hell's your problem?" Gladiolus asked, reaching out with an arm to steady Ignis.

"We should have stopped for Prompto," Noctis said as he exited the train, feeling a bit strange as his boots touched the solid ground. It was strange to be back on solid earth after being on a train for so long. "Instead we abandoned him and left him behind."

"And what, you blame Iggy for it?" Gladiolus snorted as he followed behind. "It's not his fault and you know it. He just said the truth: we couldn't stop the train. He's not the one who pushed Prompto off."

Noctis paused and turned around, eyes daring Gladiolus to continue. He didn't need his failures thrown back into his face. Gladiolus rarely held back his his words and most of the time Noctis would let them roll off his back, but if he said one more word, Noctis was going to fight him.

"Am I interrupting something?"

The voice was smooth and silky, both familiar and exotic at the same time. Noctis turned to see its owner, Aranea Highwind, standing a few feet away flanked on both sides by the Nox Fleuret siblings, her arms crossed and a smile on her face.

"Not at all," Ignis said, smiling back at her, expertly masking any distress he felt. "It's good to see you again, Aranea."

"Nice to finally meet you properly," Gladiolus added with a lopsided grin. "Gladiolus Amicitia. The guys have been telling me all about you."

"I heard through the grapevine that you lot might be on their way here," Aranea said as she looked thoughtful for a second and used a finger to point at each of them. "You're missing one. Again. Where's Blondie?"

Noctis grimaced. "He...fell off the train."

Aranea chucked. "Yeah, sounds like something he'd do. It's a shame, I was kind of looking forward to hearing him whine again," but her amusement quickly turned sour as she saw the pained expressions on everyone's faces. "Wait, that wasn't a joke? He really fell off the train? I know he's a goofball, but he's not clumsy."

In a hurried tone, Noctis told her everything that had happened ever since pulling out of Cartanica up to the present time. "Aranea," he said as he finished. "I know this is a lot to ask, but, we need Prompto back. _I_ need Prompto back. Please help me find him. I'll pay you whatever you want, so-"

He was silenced with a finger on his lips.

"Normally, I like it when men beg," Aranea said, "but you just look pathetic. Anyway, you don't have to give me the puppy eyes, kid, I'll go find him for you. Free of charge, even, but only this once."

At that moment, Aranea looked like a savior, an angel illuminated by the train station's dull lighting. Noctis had a bad habit of taking things for granted, but in this particular instance, he wanted nothing more than to sing Aranea's praises and bow at her feet. He would happily give whatever remained of the Lucian royal treasury to her if she brought Prompto back to him.

Before Aranea left, however, she took the time to help Noctis and the others get set up in Tenebrae. She had arranged lodgings for them under her name in a small, modest inn on the outskirts of town. She left them Biggs and Wedge to assist them and helped deliver a message to what remained of House Fleuret's members and servants before she was on her way. Noctis watched her leave on her signature red Imperial dropship, which he was surprised to see she still had until Biggs explained that it was given to her by Niflheim as part of their payment for her services and thus remained her property even after she left the Empire's payroll.

Lunafreya suggested they explore the town to get a feel for its geography and for the general state of the population. As distressed as he was, Noctis was still excited to see the town. He had only been to Tenebrae as a child and spent nearly the entire time in the castle of the royal family. From what little he had already seen, it was clear that Tenebrae was nothing like Insomnia or even the rural cities, towns, and settlements of Lucis. If Altissia was foreign, Tenebrae was like an entirely new world altogether, like something found in a high fantasy movie rather than a location he could visit in real life.

Instead of supermarkets, small local shops selling food lined the streets. Lunafreya explained that the people of Tenebrae visited one shop for meats and another for breads. Yet another would sell produce. Such specialty stores weren't unheard of in Insomnia, but they were very rare. They were more common out in the Lucian countryside, but even the smaller outposts tended to favor the one-stop-sells-all model. Here in Tenebrae, it seemed like Noctis couldn't go down a street without seeing at least two butcher shops. It made Noctis think of Lestallum, but with more past era aesthetic and less garbage littering the streets.

Perhaps more interesting than the town itself, however, was the people of Tenebrae. If they were planning on liberating the country, it was important for them to understand the general attitude of the population and figure out how to best gain support. It was decided that they should split into smaller groups in order to draw less attention and gather information.

And that was how Noctis ended up sitting with Ravus in a pub drinking alcohol listening to two men at the next table chatter amongst themselves.

"Did you hear that Accordo's rebelling against the Empire?"

"Good luck to them, but it's only a matter of time before Niflheim destroys them."

"They have Lucian support. Apparently Prince Noctis isn't dead after all and is helping them."

"Well, it has nothing to do with us."

Noctis turned to look at Ravus to whisper quietly, "I thought you said the people were suffering? They seem pretty okay. I mean, they're doing about as well as Altissia was."

But before Ravus could answer him, the conversation continued.

"Hey, my wife said she thought she saw Prince Ravus today."

"It was probably just a lookalike. There's no way Prince Ravus would be here."

"Yeah, and if he was? I'd sock him in the face! Not only did he abandon us, he joined the enemy! He's no prince of mine!"

Noctis suppressed a laugh, but a snicker made its way onto his face. "Sounds like _someone_ isn't popular in his own country."

Ravus almost slammed his mug of beer onto the table. "Shut up. Or need I remind you that traitors among your own people played a key role in the fall of your country?" To Ravus' credit, he realized he had gone too far when he saw the genuine anguish on Noctis' face. "...I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

"Thought you hated Lucians," Noctis grumbled, picking up his drink to take a long swig with it. He had overestimated his drinking capabilities, however, and coughed when the burn of alcohol became a little too strong to handle.

"I...thought so too," Ravus said and Noctis stopped coughing long enough to look at him. The man looked as if he'd prefer to rip out his own tongue rather than use it to admit that maybe his burning hatred of all things Lucian was perhaps just a little bit unfounded. "I suppose I really just wanted somebody to blame. You are a remarkably easy target."

If that was supposed to make Noctis feel sympathetic towards Ravus, it wasn't working. "Oh? And what made you change your mind?"

"Lunafreya," Ravus answered, then looked hesitant before he added, "And Scientia."

Even now, Noctis still wasn't sure what exactly had happened between Ignis and Ravus, and in all honesty, he didn't have a burning desire to know. He didn't want to think about Ignis much lately. Things between them had gotten complicated ever since the Rite of Leviathan. "I'm glad you get along," he said, using his most disinterested voice.

"We don't...exactly get along, but I can see that he has good qualities," Ravus continued, and Noctis could see how uncomfortable he was talking, although he couldn't tell whether it was because he was admitting that Ignis, a Lucian, was someone he had a positive opinion of or if it was because he was saying these things to the Crown Prince of Lucis of all people. "Although I'm sure he inherited those from his mother."

Noctis rolled his eyes, a distinctly unprincely maneuver. "I wouldn't know. I've never met his mom."

"In short, I suppose I don't truly have anything against Lucians," Ravus said, staring into his mug of beer. "It's simply _you_ I don't like."

"Thanks."

* * *

It took a few days, but the five of them were able to discretely gather a lot of information of the state of Tenebrae. Steps had to be taken to have the more famous members of their party not be recognized, but somehow, they had managed to blend in just enough to move around freely without raising suspicion of either the locals or the loosely scattered occupying Imperial forces. They gathered in one of their rented rooms to discuss what they had learned.

The situation in Tenebrae, as far as they could tell was this: the Tenebraean citizens were not happy with Imperial rule, but they saw themselves as having little choice. Even if members of the royal family still survived, the monarchy was utterly destroyed when Niflheim took over, which made it simple for them to install their own officials, who provided just enough in terms of resources and services in order to keep the masses complacent. It was not unlike the situation in Accordo, but with the crucial difference in that there were no local leaders.

This meant that freeing Tenebrae was not as simple as just kicking the Empire out, like Altissia. They needed someone to take control of the government once they did.

"No, it can't be you, Ravus," Ignis said, cutting Ravus off before the man could even say anything.

"What do you _mean_ it can't be me?" Ravus growled and Noctis wondered if Ravus really did actually consider Ignis something that kind of, sort of, resembled a friend. "In case you've forgotten, I am the prince of Tenebrae."

" _Former_ prince," Noctis corrected with a grin, and while he was pleased with the fact that he was one upping Ravus, he was taking more delight in his reaction. In all technicality, since the Tenebraean monarchy was no longer in place, the title of Prince of Tenebrae no longer existed. Ravus directed his glare at him and sputtered, unable to come up with a retort.

"Regardless," Ignis said, trying to both bring the conversation back on topic and head off any potential brat spats from beginning. "The issue isn't your lineage, Ravus, it's the public's opinion of you. The people do not exactly have glowing praise for you."

Ravus clenched a fist, then appeared to accept the hard truth that had been presented to him. "What of Lunafreya then?"

Lunafreya shook her head. "I'm not sure I am fit to rule," she said. "I am the Oracle. I have obligations and duties to the entire world, not just Tenebrae, and my life was spent preparing for that role rather than that of being a ruler."

"Then who _would_ the people accept?" Gladiolus asked. "In case you're wondering, Titan doesn't have any suggestions."

For a moment, Lunafreya looked thoughtful. "I would recommend someone from one of the noble families of Tenebrae to act as a provisional leader. I am personally familiar with several of them. They are good, moral people and generally liked by the citizens. I think someone from the Amare family would be best."

Ignis looked surprised, but said nothing.

At last, a real, actual plan was beginning to form. First, they needed to get in touch with the Amares and other nobility that would be happy to see Niflheim's occupation of Tenebrae end. Considering the losses of status, power, and wealth the social elite had suffered at Imperial hands, it was a sure bet that they would support a push towards Tenebraean independence. Once they had them on their side, winning over the common citizen was the next step, something that could be accomplished if they could restore hope to the people. Civil unrest and a push by the nobility would provide the perfect cover for them to either capture of depose of the one in charge of the Tenebraean occupation.

Then all they had to do was establish leadership and negotiate an alliance with Lucis and Accordo and they would have dealt another blow to the Niflheim Empire while strengthening their own forces.

They had anticipated getting in touch with the Tenebraean nobility to be difficult. However, it turned out to be nothing of the sort. When Noctis heard that the Imperial presence in the country was bare bones, he hadn't expect it to mean that there was hardly a Niff in sight. Was Niflheim so confident in Tenebrae's complacency that they would leave only a handful amount of soldiers to watch it? Or was there something else in play? Noctis only dared to hope that it was a sign of genuine weakness on the Empire's part; that the defeat they suffered in Altissia had truly rattled the once unstoppable war machine of Niflheim.

"I have a message from the Amares," Lunafreya said as a servant of House Fleuret excused herself after handing her a letter. She opened it carefully with one hand and pulled out the fine stationary inside. "It says here that Vesta Amare, the current head of the Amare family, will meet us in two days."

"Then we should spend the time deciding what we will say to her," Ravus said, looking even more irritated than usual. "I would like to spend as little time in the same room as her as possible."

"What, did she beat you up when you were kids?" Gladiolus teased and Ravus looked as if he was going to run him through with his sword. "Wait, did she really?"

Ravus refused to answer him.

Before Gladiolus could press him any further, a knock came from the door, a muffled, but familiar female voice saying, "Open up. It's me. I brought your lost item."

Noctis warped immediately to the door to open it and he could hardly believe his eyes. There, standing in front of him, was indeed, his lost item. Not caring about how he looked or what anyone (Ravus) would think of him, he threw himself forward, capturing Prompto in a tight and needy hug and nearly sending the two of them tipping over onto the floor. Noctis let his tears flow freely as he buried his face in Prompto's shoulder and felt a hand pat him on the back somewhat awkwardly.

"Hey," Prompto said, voice heavy and dripping with exhaustion. "Good to see you too."

Noctis didn't notice Aranea standing to the side, blue lips formed into a smile.

* * *

For several hours, Noctis refused to let Prompto out of his sight even though Prompto spent those hours asleep, flopping onto the nearest bed and immediately passing out.

"He's had it rough," Aranea said, her voice uncharacteristically gentle. "Let him rest. He spent the past few days short on sleep and hopped up on Ebony. I'm kind of impressed it took him this long to crash. Kid has a lot of spunk once you kick him into gear." When asked whether or not she literally did kick Prompto, she was coy and wouldn't confirm or deny whether or not she applied her boot to Prompto Argentum's body in any way, shape, or form. "I almost want to keep him for myself. He'd make a good mercenary. A whiny one, but a good one."

Even though he was aware it was pretty high on the creepy scale, Noctis watched Prompto sleep, afraid that if he took his eyes off him for too long, his friend would suddenly disappear again.

"He's not going to suddenly vanish," Gladiolus said, having taken it upon himself to keep an eye on Noctis, thus creating some sort of absurd chain of people watching each other doing absolutely nothing. "He's back with us for good."

Noctis swallowed. "What do I say to him after he wakes up?" They hadn't had a proper conversation yet, as Prompto had crashed the moment Noctis let him go and while he was normally a light sleeper, Prompto was now out like a light and unlikely to wake for anything for a while. "I'm the reason why he got lost in the first place. I'm the reason he went through...whatever it is he went through. I'm the one who...pushed him off the train."

Prompto snored softly, completely oblivious to what was going on just a few feet away from him.

Somehow, just saying he was sorry didn't feel like enough. Even if he was tricked by Ardyn, it didn't change the fact that Noctis had shoved Prompto off the train with every ounce of strength that he had, leaving his friend stranded alone in the wilderness of unknown territory. It was a blessing that Prompto was even still alive, much less back safe and sound with his friends. He felt like he should get on his knees and beg Prompto for forgiveness, except knowing Prompto, that wasn't the right answer either. Prompto wouldn't appreciate it. It would just make him uncomfortable. Prompto was just too kind of a person for that.

"You're overthinking it," Gladiolus said. "He's just happy to be back. We all are."

"I still have to make it _right_ ," Noctis insisted. "Even if he forgives me, even if he doesn't care about getting an apology, I screwed up. Gladio, I'm supposed to be the _king_. How am I going to run a country when I can't even take care of my best friend?" With a deep breath, Noctis took his eyes off the sleeping Prompto to look at his Shield. "I don't know what I'm doing, Gladio. I don't even know what I'm _supposed_ to be doing. Luna's been waking the Astrals and all of you guys made pacts with them and I haven't done a single thing."

Gladiolus snorted. "If you really think that, you're an even bigger idiot than I thought you were."

Noctis didn't know if that was supposed to comfort him, but if it was, surprisingly, it did not work. Upon seeing his obvious displeasure, Gladiolus tried a different approach.

"This isn't a competition, Noct. It's not about who does the most. And it's not like you're doing nothing. You're collecting the royal arms of your ancestors and even if you're not the one contracting with them, you're the one who's been proving his worth to the Astrals. Would we have gone to see Titan if it weren't for you? Would Leviathan have agreed to save Iggy if you hadn't fought her first?"

"Maybe," Noctis growled, unconvinced that any of that had anything to do with him. Wasn't he supposed to be the one forming covenants with the Astrals? If he was better, he would be properly bearing the responsibilities that were supposed to be his. If he was better, the others wouldn't have had to do it for him. If he was better, Ignis and Prompto wouldn't have almost _died_. "Look, I appreciate you trying, but I'm pretty well aware that I'm a shitty prince, okay?" An uncomfortable silence hung between them and Noctis spent it with his mind betraying him, telling him everything he didn't want to hear and yet he knew was true. "Gladio," he said. "Train me."

Gladiolus' face wracked into one of surprise and confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Train me," Noctis repeated. "I need to train more. I've gotta..." Gotta what? He wasn't sure where he was going with that thought. He just had this feeling that he had to do something more. That he wasn't meant to be the tagalong on his own journey across the world. With every new pact his friends made with the Astrals, Noctis could feel himself becoming more and more distant from his friends as they grow in strength and as people and bond with their Astrals.

"Alright," Gladiolus says after giving it some thought. "I always thought you could use more training. We'll put some muscle on you yet."

"I have muscles," Noctis insisted, falling into an old habit of pointless bickering with his Shield. "I just don't have hulking bulges on my arms like you do."

Gladiolus reached out to pinch one of Noctis' arms, causing the prince to yelp and pull away from him. "That's because you've got twigs for arms. Prompto has bigger guns than you."

"I thought you said this wasn't a competition," Noctis pointed out, glaring at him. "Besides, he's the gun guy. Of course he has guns."

"I was talking about group contributions," Gladiolus said, crossing his arms. "Who has the better muscles is _always_ a competition." He reached out to poke Noctis in the chest. "You better be serious about this training thing, because you just gave me permission to stop going easy on you."

But before Noctis could reply, movement from the bed caught his attention. Both he and Gladiolus turned to see Prompto sit up with a quiet groan, rubbing an eye with a hand.

"Morning," Noctis said, waving at him.

"It's three in the afternoon," Prompto mumbled, eyes on the clock on the nightstand.

"That's what I said," Noctis shrugged. "Morning."

Prompto laughed, albeit rather sadly. "Hey, so...I got something I need to tell everyone."


	8. Welcome Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADCANON AHOY BOYS AND GIRLS

The only thing Prompto could think about was that he was surprised it took him this long to snap.

Deep down, he had known. He had always known his true identity. He always knew what he was. A tool, a machine, a weapon, a daemon, a monster, but most of all, an _abomination_. He hardly registered Ardyn's voice as he sat on his knees on the cold metal floor of the facility, Verstael Besithia's bleeding corpse splayed out in front of him.

The machine in front of him sounded out some message, but he wasn't really listening. Something something Immortalis. It didn't matter what it was babbling about. The ground shook, dislodging miscellaneous scientific equipment from the walls, but he hardly felt it. He didn't care. A few feet away, part of the ceiling collapsed and from it fell Aranea Highwind, who had some sort of half animal, half magitek creature pinned beneath her spear. She twisted the pointed tip of the weapon into the monster, causing it to give one last strangled cry before it went limp. On any other day, Prompto would immediately moon over her for such a cool stunt, but today, he wasn't even looking at her, finding the floor to be much more interesting to look at. He didn't look up even when Aranea withdrew her spear to walk over to him.

"This is it," he said, voice low and listless. "This is what Bellerophon was studying. Isn't it, Ramuh?"

The Stormsender gave an affirmation, even though Prompto didn't need it. He knew. Bellerophon, himself in a past life, toyed with daemonic energies. His intentions had been pure, but the more time he spent around the Starscourge, the more corrupted he got until his body transformed into that of a daemon. And that was why he had to be killed.

"Hey," Aranea said, and when Prompto didn't respond, she bent over and slapped him in the face, the sound somehow drowning out the chaos that was going on all around him. Only then did Prompto realize she was there. "I have no idea what you're mumbling to yourself about, but don't do it here. Get up. We're leaving." She urged him to his feet, but instead of heading to the exit, Prompto walked to the machine in the center of the room, as if he were in a trance. Before she could ask what he was doing, he raised a hand, a ball of electrical magic sparking in it, and slammed it onto the control console, sending a current of electricity through the machine.

He lifted his hand back up and did it again. And then he did it a third time. When he raised his hand a fourth time, Aranea grabbed his wrist.

"I don't know what's gotten into you," she said, "but cut it out. Look, if you want to die here, that's fine, but just tell me already. If you still have a will to live, move your ass so we can hightail it out of here. This place is about to collapse."

The next several hours were a blur. Prompto's body moved on its own accord as he followed Aranea through the crumbling facility and followed her instructions without so much as a second thought. The next thing he knew, he was at the mouth of a cave. A cave that looked more like the jaws of a lurking beast than a potential shelter.

He went in anyway. It was there he had his first real, conscious thought ever since confronting Verstael, sitting huddled by a fire and holding a burning stick in his hand hovering dangerously over his right wrist. The heat from the little stick was positively searing and the edges of the flame licked at the small patch of exposed skin that had that damned barcode imprinted on it. With only a second's worth of doubt, he pressed the fire directly onto that cursed mark, only to find that not even fire could burn it away. The skin around the barcode and between its mocking pillars were red and painful, but the tattoo itself remained pristine and unmarred.

And suddenly, Aranea was there (where did she even come from?) and breaking a potion over his wrist, calling him stupid. But even with her harsh words, she was careful to not touch any of his burnt skin and instead of letting the liquid fall haphazardly over his arm, she dripped it carefully onto his injury. Within seconds, the pain had disappeared and his skin was mended and back to its natural pale state.

They had a tense conversation after that, one that apparently frustrated Aranea so much she literally stepped on Prompto, which, under other circumstances, would have gotten his heart racing and sent him tumbling head over heels and eager to follow her every command. In these circumstances, however, all it really did was remind him of how weak and pathetic he was.

Weak and pathetic as he may be, however, there was one thing that Prompto wanted more than anything, and that was to be reunited with his friends. Before that, however, they had to destroy the last of Verstael's work. The man, and he was just a _man_ , Prompto told himself, _not_ his "father," may be dead, but his work still existed and lived on. The Empire could not be allowed to keep it and make use of it.

He and Aranea stormed another magitek facility, with Aranea taking point while Prompto supported her with ranged shots from behind. Every time he held Imperial weaponry, Prompto couldn't help but feel disgusted at how natural and _right_ they felt in his hands. Contrary to popular belief, not all guns were the same. In training, he had used Lucian firearms and he learned to use Niflheim machinery as weapons after leaving Insomnia. However, before being finding himself in middle of the Niflheim wilderness, he had never even held a single Niff made gun before. It didn't matter what kind of gun it was: submachine guns, sniper rifles, even rocket launchers, no matter what he picked up, he could use it perfectly immediately, as if he had practiced using those weapons for years. More than once, he fell back on his trusty Lucian made handgun or the blade he kept for close quarters combat solely to get that feeling of disgust out of his mind for just a few seconds.

It was not enough for him to travel through the facility. Prompto made it his personal mission to destroy every piece of research and as much magitek equipment as he could, unleashing bursts of electric or ice magic onto anything that even looked remotely like it could be used to create magitek weaponry or infantry.

He pointedly kept his gaze cast downwards whenever he would destroy a machine filed with half formed magitek soldiers, hands shaking and throat dry as he would wordlessly end their lives before they even began.

More than once, he thought he heard Ardyn's voice. _And so the weight of your sins grows even heavier,_ but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find him, leading him to doubt that he even actually heard anything at all.

* * *

XDA-1002: Immortalis was Verstael's final creation, the culmination of endless years of research and inhumane experimentation. It was massive, its size beyond compare. Even the Tidemother herself could not hope to match the magitek worm in terms of size.

Regardless of how large it was, it had to be destroyed.

The only weapon that could even put a dent in the thing was a minigun mounted on the back of a snowmobile. While Prompto managed to damage its magitek core as Aranea drove at full speed across the Niflheim countryside, a single minigun couldn't hope to slay it and while it succeeded in doing some damage to Immortalis, Prompto and Aranea soon found themselves out of ammunition and staring down what was to be a massively large concentration of magical energy about to be shot their way.

For a second, Prompto knew he was staring death in the eyes as the world around him got bright, much too bright, to the point where everything was simply white and he had to close his eyes and raise an arm to shield them, thinking that at least he wouldn't have to see the shot that would kill him.

When the brightness faded, he opened his eyes to find that he and Aranea were not dead, although in that split second they were blinded, Aranea had crashed the snowmobile. But that wasn't important.

What was important was Ramuh was there, standing between them and Immortalis, slicing through Immortalis' shot of magical energy with his staff as if it were a minor nuisance.

"Ramuh?" Prompto managed to croak out as he got to his feet. "Why?"

"You are not your creator," Ramuh said as Immortalis reared back and screeched in unbridled rage. "You are not responsible for his atrocities." Electricity crackled from the spiracorn head that adorned Ramuh's staff and once it fully charged, the Astral unleashed a storm of lightning bolts, striking Immortalis in its magitek core. "You are simply Prompto Argentum, the reincarnation of my apprentice and an individual in his own right."

Immortalis, like its name implied, however, was a creature that could survive an attack from an Astral, and once it recovered from being struck, it let out a massive roar that shook the snow loose from nearby trees. Prompto knew Ramuh would not be able to stay for much longer. In fact, his body was already starting to turn translucent.

"Aranea?" he called out nervously. "Any ideas?"

But Aranea didn't answer him, so Prompto turned his head to look for her, only to spot her a short ways away talking to someone, a woman with long, flowing black hair, closed eyes, ornate robes, and skin so pale it was practically white. It took a few seconds, but Prompto recognized her.

Gentiana.

"Lady," Aranea said. "You've got to get out of here. That thing over there is about to decimate the entire area."

"Wait," Prompto said, jogging over to the pair. "I know her! That's Gentiana!" However, dropping Gentiana's name didn't do anything for Aranea, who simply looked at him in confusion. "Gentiana, uh, you're a messenger for the gods, right? We could really, really use some help here. I don't think I can keep Ramuh here for much longer."

Gentiana reached out with a hand to silence him, her eyes focused on Aranea. "I've been looking for you."

Aranea narrowed her eyes. "Me?"

"I come to you not as Gentiana," Gentiana said, then opened her eyes. "but as Shiva, the Glacian."

"Shiva?" Prompto repeated, and there were several things about this that made no sense, the most important being that Shiva was supposed ot be dead. If he wanted to, he could literally go out and see her gigantic frozen corpse which was lying somewhere in Imperial territory. People have taken pictures of it. It was the entire reason that he was standing in two feet of snow with stinging winter winds nipping at his face. Before he could ask any questions, however, Gentiana's body began to change, surrounding itself with icy winds and transforming in a flurry of snowflakes. Gentiana, now Shiva, spoke again, but her words were incomprehensible to Prompto.

"Hey, Shortcake?" Aranea said. "What's going on here?"

"Um..." Prompto looked over his shoulder to see an extremely weakened, but still functional Immortalis rearing up. It tried to fire another projectile, but the sphere of magical energy fizzled. Slowly, Immortalis began to crawl closer to them, and Prompto's eyes widened in panic. "Okay, uh, Aranea, I can't understand what she's saying, but if she's offering you something called a "covenant," accept it."

"Covenant? Is this some kind of religious thing?"

"Seriously, Aranea, just do it, trust me on this!" By now, Immortalis had pushed past a fading Ramuh and reared up. If it couldn't shoot its enemies to death, it would simply crush them with its massive body instead.

Aranea grit her teeth before looking Shiva straight in the eyes. "Alright! Fine! But if we die from this, I'm going to skewer you! My name is Aranea Highwind and you've got yourself a deal!"

If Immortalis had any eyes, Prompto would be staring into them. Instead, he was face-to-front end of the living weapon, eyes transfixed on the dark orange glow of its magitek core, a commanding presence in this world of whites and greys. Quickly running out of strength, Immortalis didn't have the power to slam itself down, but instead let gravity take over as it fell forwards. There was nowhere to run. This was where Prompto was going to die, crushed to death underneath the body of a gargantuan magitek daemon worm because for some reason he couldn't seem to get away from limbless terrors.

He barely saw the flash of movement beside him before he was pelted with a spray of snow. He looked first to his side and then upwards, seeing what he was pretty sure was Aranea performing the highest jump he had ever seen her do, using her powerful legs to launch herself upwards, spear outstretched. The tip of the lance struck Immortalis directly in its core and much to his surprise, it knocked the monster sideways, its falling body yielding to her incredible strength.

Immortalis let out a shriek as it fell harmlessly to the side, throwing up untold amounts of snow and causing the earth to shake so violently Prompto was thrown from his feet, landing ungracefully on his bottom in the snow.

Things weren't finished quite yet, however, as Aranea then pointed her spear angled downwards at the fallen magitek weapon. She brought her arm back behind her shoulder and with a yell loud enough to be heard for what Prompto thought would be miles, hurled it with all of her strength at Immortalis' core, striking it dead on. The spear imbedded itself deeply in the core and for a couple seconds, it sparked and leaked miasma. Prompto got to his feet and stared in amazement.

And then the core exploded, knocking him back down. From the core emerged a gigantic crystal of ice, splitting it apart and destroying it completely. Immortalis' many moving parts soon came to a halt and then the beast was still, never to move again.

Landing in a bank of snow, Aranea made a second leap, this time to Immortalis' body to retrieve her weapon, pulling it free with a single, powerful tug. When Prompto caught up to her, he could see pointed shards of ice surrounding her wrists like a pair of bracelets, and when she turned to look at him, her lips were an icy blue.

"Alright," Aranea said, giving him a light thwack on the back of his head. "Start talking, kid. What just happened? What did I do? What's a Hailbringer, and who the hell is Pallas?"

* * *

"I still don't really get it," Aranea said with a shrug as Prompto finished his story. "But I understand enough: I work for Shiva now. She doesn't pay in gil, but she does offer some pretty nice benefits."

"You're not the only one," Gladiolus reassured her. "The Astrals aren't exactly a very chatty bunch." To his left, Ignis let out a sound of vehement disagreement.

"I can't believe you two took down a monster like that on your own," Noctis said, shaking his head and giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Way to go, Prompto."

Prompto looked bewildered by the action. "You guys," he said, pushing Noctis' hand away, eyes darting all around the room. Nobody was staring at him in hate or disgust. The atmosphere in the room was positively warm and cheerful, aside from the eternally glowering Ravus in the corner. And even then, the man's scowls were very clearly being directed at Noctis rather than Prompto. "I just told you guys I'm an MT and _that's_ what you focus on?"

In response, Noctis rolled his eyes. "So you were born in a lab and you've got some barcode tattooed on your wrist. So what?"

His words were nigh incomprehensible, as were Prompto's emotions. The weight of twenty years was heavy on his shoulders, but now it had been re-contextualized by Noctis' complete nonreaction to the truth. It was difficult for him to sort out and he wondered if it even it was even possible to. He was prepared for rejection. He was prepared for reassurance and comfort. He wasn't really prepared for Noctis to just completely brush it aside, as if Prompto had just told him that he learned a new photography technique.

By now, Aranea has commanded the attention of the room, telling her side of the story starting with how she had managed to track down the facility that Prompto was being held in. Having already heard how and still off kilter from the absolute nothing his revelation of being a magitek trooper in origin brought about, Prompto stood and excused himself from the room, getting a lazy wave from both Noctis and Gladiolus as they kept their eyes on Aranea, entranced by her storytelling abilities, which consisted of lots of swearing and threats of bodily harm.

Prompto escaped into the hallway, closing the door softly behind him. In the narrow corridor, somehow, he felt like he had more room and space to breathe, a strange sensation for a self-confessed claustrophobic. He took the short walk to the stairs, passing many other rooms in the process, and descended down to the inn's modest first floor, which consisted of a small reception area and an open space that served as a sort of combination restaurant, bar, and general meeting place. Unlike the open areas of motels or the posh lobbies of the Leville, it offered a cozy feeling with its exposed wooden beams and furnishings. He took a seat at one of the tables and when the cute serving girl came around to ask him if he wanted anything, he only asked for a glass of water.

"Is this seat taken?" a familiar voice asked. From seemingly nowhere, Ignis was standing on the other side of the small, square table, one hand on the vacant chair directly across from him. When Prompto shook his head, Ignis took it as permission to sit down, pulling the chair back, the sound of it scraping across the wooden floor only mildly painful, and sat down, leaning forward on his elbows in a rare show of imperfect posture. "I apologize if you wanted to be left alone, but you looked upset when you left the room."

"I'm fine," Prompto said, even though he wasn't certain whether or not he was. "Sorry to worry you. It's just...nobody reacted to what I said how I thought they might. Actually, they didn't really react at all."

"Do you mean your origin?" Ignis asked as the serving girl came back with Prompto's water. He took the opportunity to order a coffee, hot and fresh brewed. As the serving girl left the table for the second time, he continued. "They were simply treating you the same way they always do. It's their way of saying they aren't going to let it change their opinions of you."

"That's a nice thought," Prompto said, and he really did think it was. "But the same isn't true for me. How am I supposed to think of _myself_ , Ignis?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Ignis said with a shake of his head. It was the answer he had expected, for Prompto knew that there wasn't any other possible answer. People could tell him how he should think and feel, but that didn't mean he'd be able to. And Ignis would never try to force him to think one way or another. "Only you can. If it helps any, I don't think there's any rush to decide right now. Take as much time as you need to come to terms with it."

Ignis' coffee arrived in the form of an off white coffee cup filled with dark brown liquid with visible steam eminating from the top. Alongside it, free of charge, came a tiny pitcher of cream and a couple packets of sugar. Upon thanking the serving girl for bringing him the drink, he pushed it across the table to Prompto, who stared down into it then back up at Ignis.

"I believe you could use it more than I," Ignis said and Prompto couldn't hep but laugh, just a little bit before accepting the cup, holding it between his gloved hands, bringing it up to his face, and inhaling the distinct scent of a freshly made cup of roasted coffee. He blew on it slightly before taking a sip, swallowing quickly and enjoying the taste as it went down his throat.

"Thanks," he said quietly after he had taken a few more sips. "I know it's stupid, but learning what I actually am made me think about things. Like wonder what my place in the world is." He put the cup down, as even through his gloves it was beginning to get a little too hot to hold. "I mean, you, Noct, and Gladio, you three all have your lives mapped out for you. You have places you all perfectly fit into."

That seemed to get Ignis' attention, the man looking surprised to hear what Prompto thought was just an obvious truth. To make things even stranger, he saw Ignis fidget slightly in his seat, casting his eyes down to the coffee cup on the table before looking back up to meet Prompto's eyes. "That's...not exactly true," he said after what Prompto figured was Ignis having some sort of internal debate with himself.

Prompto's confusion only grew as he tilted his head slightly to the side, as if seeing Ignis from a slightly different angle would help him figure out the man's unusual response. He reached over to pick up his coffee again. "What do you mean? I don't get it. I mean, you're a hand picked royal servant and nobility. And I'm this foreign-looking kid who got funny looks everywhere he went."

Ignis looked at him in disbelief. "Prompto, do you not know I'm half Tenebraean?" Prompto nearly dropped his cup and it was Ignis' turn to laugh. "This accent didn't come out of thin air. And don't tell me you haven't noticed that my hair is a significantly lighter shade than that of the average Lucian."

As he stammered to come up with a defense, Prompto suddenly saw everything falling into place and mentally kicked himself for something that was so obvious in hindsight. How long has he known Ignis for now? Five years now? Five years and he's never noticed that Ignis didn't fit the typical physical profile of a Lucian? When they first met, Ignis always acted like he knew what he was doing and that he belonged. He was so good that Prompto never questioned the voice and the sand colored hair.

"I probably don't have it as rough as you do," Ignis continued. "But there is a not insignificant number of individuals who don't approve of a half breed like myself holding the esteemed position of chamberlain to the Crown Prince."

They continued talking for another hour, sharing their experiences with good old fashioned Lucian prejudice. By the time they went back upstairs, Prompto was feeling a little less lost regarding his situation.

* * *

Having never visited foreign nobility before, Noctis took it upon himself to give Prompto a crash course in proper ettiquite. Sit still. Don't be an ass. Let the rest of them do the talking. That, Prompto thought, he could do. It was easy enough. As long as he didn't break anything or accidentally offend anyone, everything would be golden.

The Amare mansion reminded Prompto of the Amicitia household, except it was bigger. Much bigger. He paused when he first saw it, wondering what it was like on the inside. He found out soon enough: it turned out that someone had thought to make multiple living rooms. Multiple studies. Far more bedrooms than the noble family and their live in servants actually needed. Prompto couldn't think of a use for a "sitting room," much less multiple sitting rooms.

Vesta Amare was the very definition of an intimidating woman. She was twenty-five years old, roughly the same height as Prompto with shoulder length dark blonde hair that almost looked brown, and piercing green eyes. Upon laying eyes on her, Prompto could totally believe that this was a woman who, allegedly, beat up Ravus Nox Fleuret as a child.

"Princess Lunafreya," she said, bowing to the Oracle. "Prince Ravus. Prince Noctis. It's an honor to have all of you in my humble home."

Prompto had to stop himself from laughing.

As she examined each visitor, Vesta's eyes fell on Ignis, a look of surprise on her face upon seeing him. _She's probably just shocked to see the scars,_ Prompto thought. _And the horns._

"Hello, Vesta," Ignis said, and Prompto couldn't help but think that he was being overly casual with a foreign noblewoman. He had seen Ignis talk to low level Citadel clerks with more formality. "It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has," Vesta agreed, her stern features softening. "Welcome back, Ignis. I...suppose you want to visit the mausoleum?"

"Please."

Prompto felt an elbow nudge his arm and he looked to see Gladiolus staring down with him. "Go with him. It's about to get really boring in here and I think he'll appreciate some company." Thanking Gladiolus for an excuse to leave, he hurried after Ignis.

One of the servants of the Amare family led them out of the mansion and to a nearby cemetery, one with high stone walls and guarded by a set of tall, fancy wrought iron gates. Once inside, they said a polite hello to the gravekeeper before walking deep into the grounds, passing by various tombs and graves before they came to the mausoleum, which to Prompto, looked like some kind of miniature church. It was made from carved stone that was weathered with age. A family crest adorned the doorway, which he recognized from the Amare mansion. The servant opened the door, which had to be both unlocked and pushed with great force to open, and led them inside to a stone coffin.

Prompto couldn't help but shiver. This place gave him the creeps. "So who's buried here?" He asked, and more importantly, wondered why had Ignis come here in the first place. He watched as Ignis carefully ran a gloved hand over the stone of the coffin, brushing off some of the dust that had gathered on top of it.

"Lavinia Amare," he said, then looked up at Prompto. "My mother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who else thought it was kind of silly that you could kill the super ultimate magitek monster weapon Verstael spent like 20+ years making with just a single minigun on a snowmobile like come on


	9. Fairy Tales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something about this chapter bugs me. Oh well. I'll figure it out someday.

Once upon a time, a Lucian noble went to the far away country of Tenebrae at the behalf of his king to help broker an alliance between the two countries. In order to resist the growing Niflheim threat, it was imperative that the remaining countries of the world banded together if they hoped to be able to defeat Niflheim and its neverending army of magitek dolls.

That man met with the royal family of Tenebrae and after many weeks of negotiation, managed to work out a deal between the two kingdoms and a celebration of unity was thrown in honor of this new treaty.

And it was there he met the gorgeous woman who would become his wife. Lavinia Amare, even her name was beautiful, was nothing short of completely captivating. She carried herself with quiet dignity, befitting of one who was the head of her family. She was intelligent and sharp witted, her words even more dangerous than her weapons.

When it was time for the Lucian to go back home, he did not. He chose to stay in Tenebrae and became a part of his wife's family, taking her name. They had two children together: the first, a daughter and heir to the Amare family. The second, a son who had yet to have his path set.

Although it would be a stretch to call it hardship, life was not perfect for them. The wife was criticized for marrying a foreigner and the children endured teasing from their peers for their darker hair and the unusual color of their eyes.

One day, the parents took their young son aside. They told him that they were sending him far away to the kingdom of Lucis, where he would live with his uncle and study to become the advisor to the young prince there. It was a goodwill gesture on the part of Tenebrae, to strengthen their alliance with Lucis.

The son was cautiously excited for the idea. The other kids called him Lucian all the time, so surely Lucis would treat him better. Although he would miss his parents and his sister, he looked forward to his new life. It took a couple weeks to arrive in Lucis, and when he stepped off the Altissian ferry in the resort of Galdin Quay, he and his family were greeted by his uncle, his father's brother.

"This is your uncle," his father said. "He will be taking care of you. Be good and don't give him a hard time."

The son hugged his father, his mother, and his sister goodbye.

"Welcome to Lucis," his uncle said, giving him a warm smile. "You are now officially in my care and a part of this side of the family now."

At that moment, Ignis Amare became Ignis Scientia and looked forward to his new life with wide eyes and an abundance of hope.

* * *

"Sadly, life didn't turn out to be quite the fairy tale that my six-year-old self thought it would be; Lucis turned out to be even less kind than Tenebrae," Ignis said as he moved from his mother's coffin to the one beside it, the name _Aeneas Amare_ carved into the side. It was difficult for him to remember his parents, having left their care from such a young age and seeing them only sporadically before their deaths. But he did remember one thing clearly: his parents loved him dearly. "Both my mother and father died defending the royal family when Niflheim attacked."

"I'm sorry," Prompto said as his eyes went from his mother's coffin to his father's then back. "Do you ever...I don't know, resent it?"

Ignis paused to consider his answer. The day his family left him with his uncle, his life changed completely. He knew his destiny was to become loyal to a royal family he, at the time, knew nothing about and become attached to a prince who was even younger than he was. His life turned out to be a seemingly endless stream of classes and lessons in preparation for the future he had no hand in choosing, enduring the stares and comments of some of the more vocal and less accepting of Insomnia's population. If he hadn't come to Lucis, he would have grown up with his parents, enjoying a few more years with them before Niflheim attacked, then he would find comfort with his elder sister as they would have to learn to assume roles they were not meant to have for years to come.

"Perhaps," he finally said. "I'm aware that I didn't have a normal upbringing, even compared to other members of the aristocracy like Gladio. Whatever my feelings on my childhood or my teenage years are, I can't say I regret the outcome. I...live a fulfilling life serving Noct. And had I not come to Lucis, I would have never met wonderful people like Gladio. Or you."

He had hoped that Prompto wouldn't catch the waver in his voice, but one look at him said that wasn't the case. For all of his self-depreciation, Prompto was far too sharp when it came to identifying distress in his companions.

"You could have been happy if you stayed here," Prompto said, but Ignis shook his head. He didn't want to entertain the what ifs. He could wonder all he wanted, but it wasn't like he would go back in time and make a different choice. He didn't even have a choice as a child. He was always fated to leave Tenebrae and his family and go to Lucis and his loyalties were firmly cemented to his adoptive country.

He was Lucian, not Tenebraean, and that was an undeniable fact.

"No, I'm happy now," he replied, and wondered why the words made his chest feel a little hollow.

* * *

Never in Ignis' wildest dreams did he imagine his elder sister becoming the regent of Tenebrae. But if everything went well, that was exactly what was going to happen. For years, Vesta had been working to stabilize the Amare estate and restore the family name ever since their parents died and now she was being offered a chance to raise them to a station that would previously have been unheard of.

He wasn't exactly sure how his sister would govern and he was sure she would do a wonderful job, but part of him was glad that he wouldn't be under her rule. He was, after all, the younger sibling.

"Will the people really trust her to lead?" Ravus asked, once he was certain he was out of Vesta's hearing range. "She is half Lucian."

"After over a decade of Niflheim rule, I think they will be willing to give her a chance," Lunafreya said. "Not only that, attitudes towards outsiders have softened over the years, and if I vouch for her, the people will be more open to the idea."

Ravus frowned, picking up on the fact that Lunafreya had told him in a roundabout way that his word was less than favorable among the Tenebraean population.

"It will help that her position will only be temporary," Ignis added. "She will only be in charge in the absence of the royal family. Once everything settles down, you and your people can decide what you want to do for a permanent solution. You or Lunafreya could reclaim your rule or you can choose to change the government structure." Given Ravus' unpopularity among the people and Lunafreya's obligations as the Oracle, however, it seemed unlikely that the Nox Fleurets could reclaim the throne. It was more likely that Tenebrae would have to come up with a new power structure and choose who will lead them instead. It seemed that even if they managed to liberate Tenebrae, the reign of the Nox Fleuret line will come to an end. Even though they were no longer his royal family, Ignis couldn't help but feel like he was witnessing the end of an era.

Word spread quickly among the Tenebraean nobles and within a week, calls for independence were ringing throughout Tenebrae's streets from noble and commoner alike. Calls turned into gatherings and gatherings into protests. Soon, the sparks of rebellion became too great for the occupying Niflheim force to ignore. Small groups of magitek troopers, lead by low level officers, were sent out to disperse the crowds or make arrests. Patrols looking out for "suspicious activity" were hastily arranged. None of it did anything to deter the resistance, however. The scarce number of Niflheim's forces in the country proved to be their downfall as they didn't have nearly enough troops to suppress the imminent uprising.

"They're holed up in the castle," Ravus said with an expression of pure anger on his face. "They've realized they can't crush the rebellion, so they've decided to hold out until it either dies down or they can get reinforcements.

Neither of those things were going to happen, of course. Now that the Niflheim occupiers were cornered, now was the time to strike and win a decisive victory.

Due to the fact that the castle used to be their home, both Lunafreya and Ravus had extensive knowledge of its layout. The group would sneak onto the castle grounds and gain entry via a servant's entrance. They would make their way through the castle and to the most likely occasion the Niflheim officer in charge would be: the queen's bedroom, a fact that made Lunafreya look away and Ravus clench his fists in anger. Once they had him in custody, Tenebrae was as good as free. The operation would start as soon as the last of the sun's rays dipped below the horizon, which would be very soon as the days grew shorter and shorter.

Even with the shortened days, there was still a few hours to go before the sun would set, and ever the mindful chamberlain, Ignis sought out Noctis to check up on him, finding him sitting by the window of one of their rented rooms, staring out towards the beautiful castle in the distance. It sat high above the rest of the town like a protective shepherd watching over his flock. He called out Noctis' name, catching him off guard.

"Oh, it's just you," Noctis said. "Sorry, I was spacing out there."

"Getting lost in memories?" Ignis asked.

"Something like that," was the reply and Ignis waited for elaboration. However, none came. Left to only guess what Noctis was thinking about, Ignis could only assume it had to do with his visits to the castle as a child. The happy days he spent playing with Lunafreya and the weeks he spent recovering from the Empire's assassination attempt within the safety of the castle walls, confined to a wheelchair.

"Do you need me to do anything for you?" Ignis asked. He didn't know if Noctis looked upon those memories with fondness or sadness, but if he needed anything, even a minor distraction from them and the upcoming storming of the castle, Ignis was ready to provide. "Do you need something to eat? Or can I-"

"No," Noctis said, shaking his head like a child. "I just want to be alone for a while."

"Are you sure?" Ignis dared to venture. Of course he knew the best thing to do would be what Noctis said and leave him be, but a part of him didn't want to do that. It wanted to sit at his side and give him reassurances for whatever doubts he was feeling. It wanted to dote on and care for him like they used to, before everything changed in Altissia. It wanted Noctis to rely on him again.

He wanted Noctis to rely on him again.

"I said I want to be alone, Ignis," Noctis replied, voice tense and body going stiff, and Ignis could practically see the walls being built. If he continued to persist, Noctis wouldn't just push him away again, but lock him out as well.

He bowed his head. "I understand. I'm sorry for bothering you, Noct." Without waiting for the reply he knew would not be coming, he turned around and left the room, willing himself to go at a normal walking pace instead of hurrying out. Once in the hallway, Ignis let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and looked downward at the carpeted floor, waiting for Leviathan's usual criticisms of virtually everything he did.

It never came. In fact, he realized that the Tidemother hadn't uttered a single word to him for a week.

"Leviathan?" he called into the silence. "You've been awfully quiet. I'm beginning to miss your nagging."

He got a monstrous snort in reply. "Have you finally decided to listen to what I have to say? I am your...your patron deity." It was impossible to miss the trip up in her voice. For weeks, Ignis had been trying to get her to admit what she was hiding from him, but the Hydreaean is nothing if not stubborn. He had almost gotten it this time. Almost.

Because Ignis realized that standing outside of the door of a rented room at an inn seemingly speaking to nothing at all would strike the casual bystander as strange, he turned to make his way to the room he shared with Promto when he came face to face to Lunafreya, who was watching him with something of an amused smile on her face.

"I see forming the pact hasn't made Leviathan any less prickly," she giggled, and briefly, Ignis was confused before remembering that Lunafreya was the Oracle. Aside from her miraculous ability to heal, the other unique quality she possessed was being able to speak with all the Astrals as a messenger of humanity. She had first hand experience with Leviathan's moodiness.

Ignis forced himself to laugh. "She has a secret that she refuses to tell me. I suspect it's about Tiresias, the one who formed the initial covenant with her thousands of years ago."

Lunafreya shook her head. "Is that all? Leviathan, why are you hiding such a thing from him? Shall I tell him instead?"

"Don't you dare!" Leviathan's voice roared. "He doesn't need to know."

"I think he does," Lunafreya argued. "It's his soul, after all."

There was a low rumble that, if it were happening in the real world and not being broadcast directly into their minds, would have shaken the very earth. "Fine. Do what you wish. I can't stop you from telling him anyway."

But before Lunafreya could tell him anything, they were interrupted by Gladiolus telling them that there was going to be one last meeting before they began their invasion of the castle and Ignis learned something he was less than pleased to hear: his sister was going to come along on the mission.

* * *

Under the cover of night, a group of only eight individuals made their way to the Tenebraean royal castle, intending to breach and take control of it. They crossed the royal grounds and made their way to a decidedly plain and unassuming door that was hidden behind some hedges.

"Don't remember it being this big," Noctis muttered as Lunafreya produced a key that one of her servants had given her. She placed it into the lock and turned until she heard a click, then grabbed onto the doorknob and turned, pushing the door open slowly, grimacing slightly when it creaked open.

Fortunately, the room inside was completely empty. When Niflheim took over, most of the servants were dismissed from their positions. The ones that remained were then ordered to serve their oppressors and do just enough to prevent he castle from falling into disrepair. Even if there was a servant up late, it was doubtful that they would raise any alarms. Still, it was in everyone's best interests if the innocent staff stayed safely in their rooms for the night.

By Aranea's estimates, there would probably only be a couple dozen magitek troopers inside the castle and while fighting in what would mostly be tight corridors was inconvenient, between the eight of them, it was highly unlikely anything was going to go wrong. Their main concern was capturing their target before he escaped. If he fled, they would still successfully capture the castle, but he would be a valuable prisoner to have as both a source of information and as a possible bargaining chip to use against Niflheim.

"So many rooms went unused for years," Lunafreya whispered as they passed countless doors. She bowed her head low as she recalled her captivity. "Niflheim allowed me to travel to fulfil my duties as Oracle, but only when it was absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I was confined to Tenebrae and to the castle grounds in particular."

They had made it halfway through the castle when they encountered their first magitek troopers, a pair of them that had been watching the staircase. Beside Ignis, Prompto lifted his handgun to aim at them and Ignis saw his hands shake and doubt cross his face before he steeled himself and fired, expertly hitting one of the troopers in between the eyes before Aranea rushed forward to impale it on her spear. The other one fell to Ravus, who cleanly ran it through with his sword.

Ignis put a hand on Prompto's shoulder. "Are you alright?" He couldn't even begin to imagine what fighting magitek troopers was like for Prompto now, ever since his friend learned that they were cut from the same cloth.

"I'm fine," Prompto muttered, and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. I don't know what got into me. Even after I found out I'm the same as them, I still fought through them in those facilities. And then there were the ones that..." he trailed off, his voice starting to become choked.

"Hush," Ignis said, giving Prompto's shoulder a squeeze. "We can talk about it later. Right now, we need to focus on the mission." Prompto looked up at him with a renewed focus in his eyes and nodded. "If you're finding it difficult to fight them, you don't have to. Leave them to us."

As Prompto hurried up the last of the stairs to reach the next floor, Ignis caught Vesta in the corner of his eye, watching him with a distinct haughtiness he remembered quite clearly from his childhood days.

"Rather fond of that one, are you?"

"Need I remind you that my devotion is to my liege?" Ignis replied as he followed Prompto up the steps, consciously stopping himself from gritting his teeth. "Regardless, I don't have time for your teasing."

"I'm simply making up for lost time, little brother."

Ignis couldn't help but envy his friends for never having to deal with an older sister.

* * *

Ignis always knew that the rest of the world was far behind Insomnia when it came to technology. No other place in the world could come even close to it and its fully networked, digitized lifestyle, where people could post status updates to their social media anytime and anywhere from their phones. The rest of the world didn't have touchscreens or movies streamed directly into their homes.

But none of that excused the fact that the Tenebraean castle had zero elevators to speak of.

Going up many flights of stairs was not a problem for Ignis. Nor was it for anyone else in their party. Noctis, Gladiolus, and Prompto were all trained combatants at peak physical performance. Lunafreya and Ravus had lived their lives in this castle. And his sister kept up a daily weapons training and exercise regimen despite being nobility. No, going up stairs was not the problem.

It was just that Ignis couldn't help but think they'd be able to skip most of this if this castle had even just one goddamn elevator. Having to take such a direct path through the castle meant this was taking much longer than it should have, and every floor there were magitek troopers waiting to greet them. Even worse, sometimes they had to travel through the floors themselves in order to get to the next set of stairs.

Whoever designed this castle was an absolute _moron_.

Their destination was at the highest reaches of the castle because of course it was and by the time they reached the top, Ignis' legs were starting to feel sore and he suspected the same was true of the others. However, they couldn't stop now. Their goal was now within sight. Magitek troopers guarded the door to Queen Sylva's bedroom. Dispatching them wouldn't be hard: Ignis already had his daggers in his hands and was preparing to gut a soldier right below the ribs. He thrust the weapon in, piercing a weak spot in the armor and had just managed to pull his weapon out when he heard a voice:

"Ignis, look out!"

A gunshot rang through the air as an Imperial assassin model trooper fell to the ground with a bullet hole in the back of its head. Ignis stared down at it, shaken. Usually, he was hyper aware of a battle situation at all times, but in this case, he hadn't even noticed the assassin sneaking up behind him. And it was within striking range. He tore away from the trooper's body and looked over to Prompto, who stood stock still with none of the shakiness and hesitation from earlier, his gun still smoking in his hands.

"Thank you, Prompto," he said, and he realized his own voice was shaky. Prompto smiled back at him and briefly, everything was calm before the peace was shattered by Gladiolus using his shoulder to bash down the locked bedroom door.

The Niflheim official in charge of Tenebrae was a short, round, mousy man who immediately surrendered as soon as he saw all six and a half feet of Gladiolus Amicitia barrel into the room. He nearly fainted when he saw Ravus, managing to only stay conscious when Vesta lightly pressed the tip of her dagger into his back and showed him her pistol. The official then was more than willing to formally relinquish control of Tenebrae to them.

News that Tenebrae was now officially free of Imperial control was released an hour later once the castle had been swept for any lingering Niffs. Citizens flooded the streets, waving Tenebraean flags, banging pots and pans, and doing generally anything that could be considered even remotely like celebrating. Lunafreya made a public appearance, formally naming Vesta as the regent of Tenebrae. Silence fell over the masses for what felt like an eternity before the cheering began once again. Whether it was out of genuine acceptance or a happiness to no longer be under Imperial rule, Ignis couldn't tell. But no matter what it was, the people were willing to let his sister govern.

They had won a big victory, although Ignis couldn't help but think that it had come a little too easily. Certainly, the Empire had been weakened after their devastating losses in Altissia, but wouldn't they have tried harder to hold onto Tenebrae? Have had more than just one timid official and a hundred or so magitek troopers to hold down the place? He couldn't help but think that there was interference of some kind, and if there was foul play somewhere, he was fairly sure he knew who the culprit was.

He decied to not even think about that person's name as he examined the guest room that he had been given to use. It reminded him much of the rooms in the Altissian branch of the Leville, large, open, complete with a sitting area, a fireplace, and a luxurious attached bathroom. As much as the idea of drawing himself a hot bath was appealing, there was other business he had to attend to first.

Right on time, there was a knock on his door and Prompto peered in timidly before entering the room properly, gently closing the door behind him. He seemed doubtful for a second before he crept over to the bed, stealth completely useless when he was directly in Ignis' line of sight.

"Are you alright?" Ignis asked as Prompto sat down next to him. It was the exact same question he had asked before, but he thought it beared repeating.

"Yeah," Prompto answered, beginning to relax. "I just froze up for a second there. Sorry. It won't happen again. It's not that I can't fight them. I know I can. I did back when it was just me and Aranea fighting our way through Niff territory."

Ignis asked him to slow down, reassuring him that there was nothing to worry about. But Prompto couldn't slow down, even though he tried. The words simply wouldn't stop and Ignis just had to try to keep up.

"It's just...there were a lot of them in machines. In these tube things suspended in liquid. They weren't "finished" yet, they were still being infused with miasma. They hadn't even been "born" yet and I..." Prompto paused and gripped the sheets of the bed, staring down at his boots that were firmly planted on the intricate rug that covered the gorgeous dark wood floor. "I _killed_ them, Ignis. I _murdered_ them. I'm...I'm a monster."

Without even thinking about it, Ignis reached over to pull Prompto into an embrace. "No. No, you're not. You saved them from becoming monsters themselves." He knew the words would not simply make Prompto's guilt disappear. There were no magic spells that could do such a thing. All he could do was be there for him and hope that one day, Prompto would be able to move on from his time in captivity.

* * *

The Tenebraean castle had a large, impressive, and simply beautiful library containing floor to ceiling bookshelves lined with everything from historical journals to common children's picture books. Lunafreya stood at the very top of a ladder, picking out a book from the very top shelf, which would be very normal if it weren't for one very important fact:

The library's ceiling was roughly three storeys high.

Ignis swallowed and gripped the base of the ladder as tightly as he could, holding it steady and listening for the sound of Lunafreya descending. He had counted how many steps it had taken her to get up there, and now he was counting the steps it was taking her to come back down. Fortunately, Lunafreya did not slip and fall to her untimely death and once she convinced Ignis that it was safe to let go of the ladder, led him over to a reading nook where she opened the book and began flipping through the pages.

The book was old with a brown leather cover. The pages were thin and Lunafreya delicately flipped through them, careful to not damage any of them until she found what she was looking for and began to read aloud:

Once upon a time, there was a man who traveled on foot for a month to reach the sea. He had never seen the sea before, and at first sight, was completely entranced by her beauty. A musician by trade, he sang songs of praise for the sea, commending her power and her grace. Over time, songs of admiration turned to songs of love, and although he knew that in her infinite vastness and depth, the sea did not hear him, he continued to sing.

But the sea did hear him. She listened to his songs every day. She was touched by the genuine emotion in his voice and soon, she fell in love with him too.

So the sea turned herself into a human woman and married the man.

They had a single child together, a daughter who loved her mother just as much as she loved her. She became the sea's link to humanity, giving her soul to her mother in order to share her power. As the liaison between her mother and humans, she helped foster a positive relationship between the sea and the people.

One day, the people decided that they no longer needed the love and protection of the gods. They first waged war on fire, then set their sights on water. They hunted down the sea's family and slew her husband. They took her daughter and gouged out her eyes before burning her alive.

Enraged, the sea abandoned humanity. No longer would she answer their prayers or listen to their cries.

And when she went back to sleep, she dreamed only of the family she lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's quite enough of our little Ignis and Prompto-based detour (for now), we're back to your sporadically scheduled Gladio next chapter


	10. Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm sorry for disappearing for almost two months(!). Life got unexpectedly rough and a writer's block certainly didn't help matters. Hopefully things will be easier from now on.

Ever since the withdrawal of Niflheim forces from Tenebrae, the country had been in a state of celebration. The mood in the entire country had lifted, as if it were a bird that's been released from a cage it's been confined to for far too long. This was the Tenebrae that Noctis would describe from his memories. This was the true form of the far off, fantasy country that people would always talk about.

Gladiolus finally understood what the hype was all about.

Two back-to-back victories against Niflheim was nothing to sneeze at, and even he was amazed at it. Gladiolus was no military strategist: all he really did was swing his weapon at enemies until they stopped moving, but even he knew that what they had just pulled off was something of an amazing feat. For years, the enemy had been steadily expanding its empire, leading to the ill-fated treaty in a last attempt to save what was left of Lucis.

And yet, despite the great strides they've made in their goal of defeating the Niflheim Empire, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

The source of this unease had nothing to do with their recent accomplishments: Gladiolus was nothing but proud of those. What he was worried about was the state of their group and how it's changed, which was one of the reasons why he was sitting in one of the many sitting rooms in the Tenebraean castle staring at paintings of past Oracles in deep thought, arms crossed and thinking Lunafreya's great-great-great-grandmother (at least, he's pretty sure there's three "greats" in front of it) was a rather beautiful woman.

Speaking of Lunafreya, it wasn't her presence that worried him. Nor was it Aranea's. Not even Ravus, as grouchy and reluctantly cooperative the former Tenebraean prince was. What he was worried about was the three friends he's spent the past several months crisscrossing the world with.

First there was Prompto, who had learned some very disturbing things during his brief time away from the group. It didn't change Gladiolus' opinion of him, and he was certain that the same could be said of both Noctis and Ignis, but he's noticed the way that Prompto seems to have become more subdued, hanging around the fringes of their group and the goodnatured attitude he usually radiated seemed just a little bit off.

And then there was Ignis, who Gladiolus could only guess at what was up with him, but he suspected it had something to do with the fact that his friend's relationship with Noctis had become strained ever since the Rite of Leviathan and wasn't showing any signs of improving. Gladiolus wanted to try to talk to him about it, but it seemed to be a futile effort. Since when did Ignis talk about his problems to anyone? The man was a goddamn mystery half the time.

Last, but certainly not least, was the prince himself, who was suffering from some kind of inferiority complex from not having made any covenants with any of the Astrals and no matter how many times Gladiolus tried to tell him that it didn't matter, Noctis didn't believe him.

Which was how Gladiolus found himself raising a shield to block a particularly ferocious blow from a greatsword swinging Noctis, causing a sharp metal clang to echo throughout the castle gardens. The greatsword bounced slightly off the shield, but being blocked didn't seem to deter Noctis in the slightest, who instead lowered the weapon and swung it in a wide arc towards Gladiolus' legs, just barely missing his knees.

"Shiva's divine frozen right tit, Noct," he grumbled. "Cool off." He hadn't meant to make a pun, but fortunately, all he got was a pair of blue eyes being rolled at him. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep that up."

"I'm fine," he heard Noctis mutter before backing off, dismissing the greatsword from his hands. Despite the insistence he made, however, he rubbed at his own arms to soothe what must have been aching muscles. It wasn't often that Noctis used greatswords, generally preferring lighter weapons like his sword. "Just haven't trained this hard for a while."

"Which is exactly why I told you to slow down," Gladiolus growled, reaching over to give Noctis a light smack to the head. "There's going hard, and then there's destroying yourself." He heard Noctis whine as he did. He rolled his eyes in response. "I know you don't want to hear it, and you're not going to believe it, but trust me, no one thinks any less of you. You're still the prince and we still protect you, like how it's always been."

Noctis turned to glare at him, eyes so sharply focused, Gladiolus would have sworn that he could cut glass with just a look. "I don't _want_ to be protected!" His fists clenched and he let out a breath between clenched teeth. "You're right. I don't have fancy powers like the rest of you guys, but that means I have to be a good prince. A good king." Raising one arm, the Engine Blade appeared in his grip. He touched the flat side of the blade with his other hand, running over it slowly and carefully. "I can't rely on everyone else all the time."

To hear Noctis Lucis Caelum, whose family line was blessed with unique magics and abilities that no other bloodline in the world can claim, say that he doesn't have "fancy powers" was perhaps the most jarring experience of Gladiolus' life.

"But you can rely on us some of the time," he answered. "It's what we're here for. We're all here to support you, Noct. Me, Prompto, Iggy, Lunafreya, Aranea-"

Noctis scrunched his face in doubt. "Even Ravus?"

He gave a firm nod in confirmation. "Even Ravus."

Noctis gave him a look and Gladiolus acknowledged that the idea of Ravus Nox Fleuret supporting them was quite possibly the most unbelievable thing said this entire conversation. "Alright. Break time's over. Let's start again, and this time, we're going from the basics. I don't want to hear you complaining."

* * *

"Hey, this seat taken?"

Before Gladiolus could answer, Aranea plopped herself right beside him on the plush Tenebraean couch he was sitting in before kicking up her heeled boots to rest on the ornate coffe table in front of them. At least, Gladiolus thought it was a coffee table. It was some sort of low table made of some wood with some pretentious sounding name like "feywood" or "salikawood." He didn't really know the names of any any fancy sounding trees, but he imagined them all to have the word "wood" in them. Give him normal oaks and pines any day.

"Thanks," Aranea said, even though she had exactly nothing to thank him for.

Aranea was, in a word, incredible. It was as if she had taken every good quality of the Kingsglaive, Crownsguard, Hunters, and Niflheim and made them all her own. She was powerful, tough, smart, and gorgeous.

She could have any man or woman or other (he liked to think of himself as a modern, forward thinking man) she desired. There were very few women in existence that could be considered out of Gladiolus Amicitia's league, but Aranea Highwind was, without a doubt, one of them. But he wasn't going to let a thing like that stop him. Mankind should always challenge itself and reach for the impossible. If it didn't, no progress would ever be made.

"So," he said, folding his hands behind his head and leaning back. As a gesture, it was somewhat awkward as his towering height meant that he cleared the backrest of the couch by a large margin. "You come here often?"

He heard a chuckle behind him. It was full of playfulness and mischief. "No, can't say I do." She was very clearly just indulging him, but that was alright. It wasn't like he was seriously hoping he could hook up with Aranea of all people, but if it did happen, however unlikely, it would have been nice. "Just looking to kick back and relax a little. Didn't expect to run into you here." A moment of silence passed between them, which Gladiolus spent admiring the room's furnishings. It was nothing like Insomnia's sleek designs or Accordo's air of classiness. The room had a light and airy feeling with its pastel colored walls and whimsical furniture. It seemed like something Iris would come up with when she was a young girl.

His thoughts wandered back to his sister in Lucis. He knew that she was as safe as she possibly could be, living in a remote corner of the country with the remaining members of the Crownsguard to look after her. If anything, he should feel bad for any Niffs that did manage to cross her path. They'd be getting elbows directly to the face and having first hand experience with them, he knew they _hurt_.

Aranea's voice continued on and he almost missed what she said next. "I hear you're the one who started the hot trend of selling your soul to the Astrals."

"Don't remind me," Gladiolus snorted in return. "It's not a fad even though Noct seems to think it's one. Don't know why he's so mad about it. Don't know why he's so mad about..." He lifted a hand and waved it in front of his own face in a vague gesture that had no meaning, as much as he tried to give it one. "...everything." From this whole situation with the Astrals to snapping at Ignis seemingly at random, it seemed like all Noctis could do was be a snippy brat even though their situation had been the best it's been ever since they first learned of Insomnia's fall.

"And here I thought he was just always moody," Aranea commented, leaning back into the couch in a distinctly unladylike way.

"No, he isn't," Gladiolus said, feeling obligated to defend Noctis' honor. After a second, he added, "Not _always_ anyway. He's just being a brat."

"You think so?" Aranea asked, turning her head to look to him. "I don't know Prince Charming as well as you do, but from everything I hear, he kind of has good reason to complain." When Gladiolus stared at her, waiting for an answer, she refused to give him one. "What, you want me to tell you? Hell no. Figure it out yourself. Shortcake told me you were the one who was good with people; don't tell me he was wrong. By the gods, all four of you boys are hopeless in your own special unique ways, aren't you? It's a miracle you guys managed to make it this far."

* * *

Being a mostly peaceful country, Tenebrae had little in the way of military forces, one of the factors that allowed Niflheim to conquer it with relative ease and it had even less now that it just reemerged from a twelve year occupation. It had relied heavily on its allies, Lucis in particular, to provide support in the areas it was lacking, and when King Regis took Noctis and ran all those years ago, Tenebrae didn't stand a chance. It was no wonder that Ravus bore a grudge against them for years. Gladiolus didn't blame him for being angry. What he did blame him for, however, was directing that anger at innocent people who played no part in the betrayal, including Noctis himself.

"Niflheim will be back," Ravus said, and Gladiolus had to admit that he was right. "It's only a matter of time before they restructure their forces and return." At least it seemed like Ravus was now able to put his anger aside for the sake of achieving their shared goals. Whether or not he was only doing it because of Lady Lunafreya's urging remained to be known, but as long as he was mildly cooperative, that was enough.

Ravus was an invaluable source of information on the inner workings of Niflheim's army. It was already known that the bulk of their forces relied heavily on their magitek troopers. Thanks to Prompto, they knew now what those machines _really_ were and honestly, Gladiolus wasn't sure if he preferred knowing they were lab grown Prompto clones infused with daemonic miasma or if he would have liked thinking they were just janky robots better. According to Ravus, several of Niflheim's higher ranking personnel would be vying to fill the void he had left behind when he turned traitor. When pressed for a name on who he thought was most likely to ascend to the title of High Commander, all he could give was a shrug. In Ravus' humble opinion, everyone who was left was of equal skill and worthiness. By which he meant he thought they were all incompetent and from what Gladiolus had seen of the remaining Niflheim commanders...he was probably right. Caligo and Loqi hadn't exactly left the best impressions on them and suddenly, he could see how Ravus and Aranea, both outsiders in their own ways, managed to climb the ranks of the Niflheim army so easily.

"They'll be weaker when they return," Aranea said, crossing her arms. "The thing about MTs? They need a strong commander to direct them in order to fight at their full potential. They're like dogs, but stupider." She stopped and looked at Lunafreya. "No offense to your dogs, Princess. Anyway, Prince Charmless over there is right: the remaining officers are fools. Emperor Aldercapt liked to fill the ranks with loyal ass kissers rather than people with actual talent. Anyone competent has already bailed or were kicked out. They don't like boat rockers over in Niflheim."

Gladiolus could believe it. The main reason Niflheim won battles was because they could constantly send mass produced magitek troopers at a battle until they won. Prompto and Aranea destroying one of their production facilities was a powerful blow against them.

"We should strike first," he suggested, slamming his fist into his palm. "Get 'em while they're still reeling."

"With what army?" Ravus asked, frowning. "We said Niflheim would be weaker, not helpless. We have no actual army backing us and there's only six of us."

"Seven," Lunafreya corrected, causing a sibling argument to break out on whether Lunafreya was allowed to be considered part of their battle group or not.

"You will be staying _here_ ," Ravus snarled.

"I will not," Lunafreya replied calmly. "I know you are worried about me, but I cannot run or hide. I am the Oracle-"

"To hell with being the Oracle!" Ravus spat. "What has being the Oracle done for you? It's given you nothing but a life of servitude and endless suffering! It's left you used by everyone around you! Especially-"

Lunafreya did not let him finish that sentence as she got directly into her brother's face. Gone was the calmness in her features and her voice, replaced by unrestrained anger. It was an expression nobody was used to seeing. "You don't understand, _Brother_ , this isn't some terrible fate that was forced upon me. I was born with these abilities, yes, but nobody is making me do anything. I am not some tragic figure being jerked around by destiny, I am someone who has chosen her life and her path. The way of the Oracle is one I follow of my own free will and with pride. I know you don't agree, but if you must be upset, the person to be angry with is me."

"You're deluded," Ravus frowned. "Brainwashed! You succumb to fate and willingly make yourself a pawn of "fate" and so-called "gods?""

"You know what _I_ think?" Gladiolus asked, grabbing Ravus by the shoulder and jerking him back roughly. " _I_ think you should give your sister a little bit more respect."

Ravus glared at him. "Of course a Lucian slave to the gods would say that."

He ignored the jab that was clearly meant to just get a rise out of him. Ravus had provoked him once before, back when they were retrieving the Regalia. It wasn't going to happen again. "There's nothing wrong with following a path that's been set out for you as long as it's what you truly want to do. I don't know about you, but I think Lady Lunafreya here has her feelings on the matter pretty damn clear. So how about you sit back and listen to what she wants? Which, in case you've forgotten, is she wants to come with us to Niflheim." When Ravus didn't respond, he continued. "Look. I know it's hard. You're the big brother and you think you always know what's best for your little sister. But the truth is you don't. Sometimes you're wrong. You can't dictate her life for her. You can't keep her locked up in an ivory tower for her whole life. She's going to do things on her own and the best you can do is offer your advice then shut the hell up and accept her decisions."

Before a retort could be lobbed at him, however, a furious knock echoed throughout the room and a Tenebraean guard threw open the door.

"We're under attack!" he gasped. From his labored breathing, he had run both a long way and as quickly as he could. "Imperial dropships have been spotted in the sky! They'll be deploying at any moment!"

* * *

Nobody had expected the Niflheim counterattack to happen so soon, but it was impossible to deny when, like the guard had said, dozens of dropships littered the sky. One by one, they opened their hatches to deposit their loads, but something was wrong. Normally, magitek troopers jumped to the ground, landing on their feet before beginning their mission. This time, however, they simply...fell. They tumbled haphazardly out of their ships, twisting and turning without rhyme or reason in the air before slamming into the ground. Upon impact, they would stand up, but their bodies bent at odd angles and they stumbled forward with uneven gaits. Magitek troopers have always been known for their awkward, strange movements, but these made those seem normal by comparison.

The screams of townspeople filled the area as they fled from the attacking troopers. Those who weren't fortunate enough to escape were brutally executed, some shot by rifles and others hacked by axes.

Everyone immediately began to throw themselves into battle, splitting into pairs. The situation was nightmarish, but none of them could leave the people of Tenebrae to die. Gladiolus used his greatsword to smash as many troopers as he could. Even as he smashed their legs into uselessness, they would drag themselves forward using their hands. Nothing short of complete destruction would stop them.

"Gladio!" Ignis called out to him, pointing to a figure standing in the distance as a wave of troopers shambled past it. "Over there!"

Following Ignis' eyes, Gladiolus immediately recognized the distant figure. "Ardyn," he grunted. "Iggy, what should we-" but as he turned his head to look at his friend, he realized he was alone. "Iggy!?" Looking around frantically, he saw Ignis had dashed off without him, nimbly evading flailing magitek troopers and either running past them or deflecting them with his daggers as he headed straight for Ardyn. "Iggy! The hell are you doing!?"

But Ignis ignored him, pressing forward. Ardyn turned around, coat fluttering with the movement, and ran down street. Gladiolus tried to run to catch up, but soon found himself surrounded by the magitek troopers that were slowly advancing on him.

"Get away from me!" he yelled as he swung his greatsword in a circle, breaking them in two, but the ones that fell were quickly replaced by more. Knowing he didn't have time to waste on these automatons, he tapped into Titan's magic, using it to disrupt the earth around him and knock the magitek troopers off their feet before causing it to spike through them, cleanly impaling them. When he looked down the street that Ardyn and Ignis had run down, however, both were nowhere to be found.

A sense of unease ran through him. _Iggy's a smart guy,_ he thought to himself. _He'll be fine._

His new priority was making sure everyone else was okay and he instead set out in the direction he knew Noctis was. It didn't take long to find him: the sounds of battle were like a beacon directing him straight to the prince.

Noctis phased through a magitek trooper's blades before throwing his sword at another one several feet away. The weapon impaled the trooper's chest and he warped to it, pulling it free from its body and using a foot to kick it away as it convulsed, miasma leaking from its body before it collapsed, never to move again.

"Noct!" Gladiolus yelled as he put himself between Noctis and summoning a shield to block an incoming attack. "Where's Prompto?"

"Uh...I think I lost him when I warped away."

"Goddammit, Noct!" Did nobody understand what _buddy system_ meant!?

"I thought I told you I don't need protection," Noctis said, summoning a pistol to shoot at another approaching enemy.

"I'm not here to protect you," Gladiolus said, even though he knew that was somewhat of a lie. "I'm just here to fight with you."

Noctis was silent for a moment, lowering the gun before raising it up again to fire at more approaching magitek troopers. "I can live with that."

They fought off the attackers together, back to back, falling into a natural rhythm forged by months of fighting together on the road. Neither got in the other's way as they coordinated their strikes so that they left no openings and covered each other's weaknesses. It seems the days they spent training in the gardens weren't a waste after all. It wasn't long before every enemy was dispatched and a grumbling Prompto jogged up to them, complaining about being left behind under his breath.

"Wasn't that a lovely display?"

All three of them turned their heads upward to see Ardyn waving to them from the hatch of a dropship that was just outside of Noctis' warping range. If Noctis tried to warp to it, he would fall just short, and Gladiolus suspected that the distance was entirely intentional. How Ardyn knew how far warping could go was a mystery, but he didn't dwell much on it: the bastard seemed to know everything ever.

"So beautiful, a wonderful example of brotherhood," Ardyn continued before giving them a sneer. "It disgusts me."

"The hell do you want?" Gladiolus shouted at him.

"Just to stop by and check up on you all, of course!" Ardyn answered with a tip of his hat. He didn't even have the courtesy to lie or evade their question. He just straight up fed them nonsense, as if he thought he was talking down to brain dead morons. Maybe that was how he really saw them. "Do you like what I've done with the magitek soldiers? I think they're much better this way, but I thought I'd ask your opinion."

"They're awful," Noctis muttered, loud enough for only his companions to hear.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot. I'm also here to formally extend to you an invitation to Gralea, the heart of the Niflheim Empire. I assure you that you will be recieved as honored guests. Do note that I will be _very_ upset if you do not come, and I won't be the only one." The dropship began to rise up in the air, its hatch slowly closing. "Until we meet again, my friends!"

"I don't buy it," Gladiolus said as they watched Ardyn float away towards Niflheim. "Like hell he decided to come here and drop a bunch of creepy MTs for fun." There was always an angle to that guy. A method to whatever madness had taken hold of him. He always had a goal of some kind, even though he acted as if he had none. That wasn't something they could figure out on their own, of course, and the three of them had little choice but to return to the Tenebraen castle.

"Something's wrong," Noctis said as they passed the guards and entered the grand doors. "I can feel it."

Just a "feeling" probably would seem silly to some, but Noctis wasn't the only one who thought something was off. Gladiolus felt it too and if the way Prompto was looking around was any indication, he did as well. They had barely managed to reunite with Aranea, Ravus, Lunafreya, and Vesta before the cause of the unease was finally pinned down.

"Where's Ignis?" Noctis asked.

"Wasn't he with you?" Aranea asked, looking at Gladiolus.

"He ran off," Gladiolus answered. "He hasn't come back?"

Nobody said anything for a moment. Lunafreya's face became wrought with worry and Prompto fidgeted in place until finally, Vesta's panicked voice broke the silence.

"Where is he!?" she demanded of nobody in particular. "Where is my brother!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladiolus "I am the only one keeping it together" Amicitia


	11. A Proposition

"Good morning."

If the definition of a good morning was opening one's eyes to the harsh glare of industrial grade florescent lighting while lying on ice cold metal flooring, then yes, it was a good morning. However, that was not the definition of a good morning to anyone ever, and thus Ignis had to strongly disagree with that statement. He sat up and rubbed his back, which ached slightly from being on the uncomfortable floor for...how long had he been asleep?

And for that matter, why was he sleeping on the floor? Most importantly, where was he? This was, definitively, not Tenebrae. He was in a large, open area, surrounded by metal walls on all sides. The temperature was cold, like the metal that made up the walls, ceiling, and floor. Large shipping containers littered the area, and he realized that he was in a storage facility of some kind. A military one, if the general atmosphere and labels on the shipping containers were any indication.

He tried to recall what had last happened to him. He remembered breaking away from Gladiolus to chase after Ardyn. A foolish move, he knew, but at that moment, he had been driven by emotion. Ignis had never liked Ardyn, even before he revealed his wicked nature, but recent events had turned that distaste into a burning anger. Ardyn's disloyalty to the people he served, him injuring Gladiolus and Ravus, his attempt to murder Lunafreya, his threats towards Noctis' life, and the cruelty he inflicted on Prompto had made Ignis decide that enough was enough: that Ardyn, no matter what it was he was trying to achieve, needed to be stopped. But after chasing Ardyn down a quiet Tenebraean alleyway, Ignis could remember nothing but blackness and the growls and whispers of daemons before waking up just moments ago.

"Did you sleep well?"

Scrambling to his feet and turning quickly, Ignis saw the man in question, giving him a crooked smile that held some mockery of friendliness to it.

"Where am I?" Ignis demanded as he waited to feel the familiar weights of his daggers in his hands. Alarmingly, they failed to appear even after repeated attempts to manifest them.

"Gralea," Ardyn answered. "Oh, and I wouldn't bother trying to pull out any weaponry. You see, Niflheim just made the latest breakthrough in war technology. I won't bore you with the details, but it more or less comes down to this: the magic of the Lucis Caelum bloodline holds no power here."

In other words, something here was blocking Noctis' magic. Luckily, Ignis had access to an entirely separate type of magic at his fingertips and he immediately drew on Leviathan's gifts, his tail forming behind him.

"There's no need for hostilities," Ardyn said. "I didn't bring you here to cause you harm." He held out both hands, palms up. "See? Not a weapon in sight." Of course, the gesture did nothing to lower Ignis' guard. Ardyn didn't need weapons to be dangerous. He had seen the strange, dark magic the man commanded. He didn't know exactly what it was, but it was obviously more dangerous than any blade. "I've brought you here as my guest."

"Then you make a poor host," Ignis replied.

"Yes, yes, I agree and I'm so sorry about that," Ardyn said, and he sounded...somewhat sincere. "I hadn't meant to drop you here rudely like that. I have a nice room prepared for you and everything."

"What do you want with me?" Ignis growled. He didn't care to listen to Ardyn's rambling or excuses about an issue that ultimately didn't mean anything. "If it was Noct you're after, I'm sorry to say you caught the wrong person."

Ardyn shook his head. "No, no. I got the right one. You may have forgotten, but I did tell you way back when in Altissia: you caught my attention and that I would be keeping an eye on you." He turned around, exposing his back to Ignis. "Would you mind walking with me?"

It would be easy to strike at Ardyn's back. He may not have any weapons, but he had Leviathan's power at his disposal. But Ardyn, as infuriating as he was, was also a cunning and intelligent man. He would not make so careless a mistake. If Ignis attacked him, then he surely would have a plan for that. Attacking Ardyn would most likely be a mistake. One he would pay dearly for.

Reluctantly, Ignis followed him instead.

"A wise move," Ardyn said. "While I know you didn't even _consider_ it, but, if you had decided to, say, attack me, my friends would come to my defense."

Before he could even ask what friends, Ignis heard them. He heard the threatening rumbles of otherworldly creatures and he could just barely make out the forms of daemons lurking in the shadows, darting between the crates, and infesting the nooks and crannies of the warehouse. "What do you want with me?" he repeated.

They reached a doorway that opened up for them, leading into the narrow and twisted hallways of what Ignis finally realized was Zegnautus Keep. Ardyn looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"To talk."

* * *

"You see, Ignis," Ardyn said. They were sitting across from each other at a table, one that must have been used for strategic meetings between Niflheim commanders. "I must admit I have a bit of a soft spot for you. And so, I've decided to make a proposition."

Immediately, Ignis had a response. "I have no interest in whatever it is you have to offer."

"Now, now, hear me out," Ardyn said. "You're a very talented and gifted man. I'd loathe to see you waste away, your potential unfulfilled. Why not join forces with me?"

"I said I'm not interested."

Ardyn chuckled. "Are you really not?"

"I really am not."

A sigh. Ardyn shrugged and shook his head. "Oh come now. I thought you were the smart one. But I suppose it's a lot to suddenly ask of you, isn't it? My mistake, do forgive me. Perhaps you just need some time to think about it." He stood up from his seat and tipped his hat. "I'll leave you to your thoughts."

Ignis frowned at him. "Holding me prisoner isn't going to change my mind."

"Who said anything about holding you prisoner?" Ardyn asked, looking mock offended. "You're free to go wherever you wish. You can even leave this keep altogether if you so desire. I won't stop you, although I can't say the same of the daemons and the magitek troopers guarding the exits. I'm not responsible for their actions." He turned to walk to a door, which was flanked on both sides by a pair of magitek troopers that occasionally twitched as they stood guard. "Oh, and if you decide to take me up on my offer, do let me know."

And then Ignis was alone, left sitting at a too large table with only his thoughts and silent magitek troopers for company. Unwilling to simply sit there, he also stood and went for a different door than the one Ardyn left of, which was also sentried by a pair of magitek troopers. He looked at it hesitantly. Was Ardyn being truthful when he said he could go? He decided to risk it, as he was certain he could fight off two troopers, and walked between them.

They let him pass, and Ignis found himself once again in the halls of Zegnautus Keep.

He could hardly believe that Ardyn had the gall to try to convince him to join him. Betray his friends? Betray Noctis? For _Ardyn Izunia_ of all people? The idea was completely preposterous.

"Is it really so far fetched of an idea?" he heard Ardyn's voice ask. It must have been coming from a public announcement system of some kind. He looked up, searching for a speaker of some kind, but could see none. "Think about it."

Without the faintest idea of what the layout of the keep was, Ignis picked a direction and started walking. His footsteps echoed loudly and every step he took made him feel more and more uneasy. There was something wrong about this place, and it wasn't the fact that it was the bastion of Niflheim's military forces in the Empire's capital city.

Ahead of him, he could see a daemon. A ronin, to be exact, and it was walking straight for him. Ronin rarely ran; they moved slowly until they decided it was time to strike, and then they attacked with such tremendous speed the untrained civilian had no hope of tracking them. As the distance closed between them, Ignis braced himself for battle, but the ronin walked past him, as if they were just strangers passing by each other on a busy Insomnian street. It was baffling. It was a known fact that daemons attacked indiscriminately. They immediately went for any and all living creatures they could find, and yet, this one ignored him entirely.

Niflheim was no stranger to using daemons in warfare. It was, after all, a ferocious daemon that had attacked Noctis all those years ago back when the prince was only a child. He had been lucky to escape with his life. But Niflheim's use of daemons usually consisted of capturing them and keeping them caged before unleashing them onto their enemies. Afterwards, they would be killed or recaptured and kept locked up until it was time to let them loose again.

Had Niflheim learned to tame daemons? No, that wasn't possible. Even the Altissian beastmasters of Arena Galviano, widely known worldwide as the best monster trainers in the world, couldn't truly tame their daemons. Not to the point where they could be trusted to walk among humans without risk. Ardyn had called the daemons his "friends." Did that mean that he had control of them?

"Oh, it's nothing special, really," Ardyn's voice purred. "You could do it too, you know. I can show you how." Ignis ignored him.

There was something off about this place. This massive fortress that was supposed to be the center of Niflheim's war machine. Something besides the oddly behaved magitek troopers and the daemons that roamed the premises freely, and up until that moment, Ignis wasn't able to place what it was. But as time went on, it finally dawned on him.

There wasn't a single human in sight. No sign of human life or activity. Zegnautus Keep looked abandoned, as if no one had been in it for a while. That shouldn't be possible, of course. This was Niflheim, the most powerful military force in the world. If anything this place should be absolutely bursting at the seams with people. Yet there were no commanders. No aides and no strategists. There wasn't even a single janitor to be found. Only daemons and robotic dolls fueled by daemonic energies.

Happening upon a door, Ignis opened it to find a soldiers' barracks, meant for what human combatants Niflheim had left. He would have expected to see soldiers asleep on the uniform bare bones army beds, but they were abandoned, beds left unmade. Hardly fitting discipline for soldiers. Whoever had occupied these spaces left in a hurry and not long ago. Ignis could still see personal items throughout the room, clean without any dust upon them. He stopped to pick up a framed photograph sitting next to one of the beds, a portrait shot of a beautiful blonde woman. If he were to hazard a guess, Ignis would assume this was the wife or girlfriend of a Niflheim soldier. Which meant one thing: something happened here.

"Does it bother you that you have no one waiting for you?" Ardyn asked, and Ignis was certain the man was in some sort of security station, watching him over a closed circuit monitoring system.

"You're wrong," Ignis insisted, putting down the photograph with care even though he knew not the woman in the photo nor the person who owned it.

"Am I?" Ardyn asked. "Who, then? It certainly can't be your uncle. You know he's gone, departed from this world."

Although he had no confirmation of his uncle's death, Ignis knew it to be true. His uncle had been in Insomnia when it fell, and he would have perished defending King Regis from Niflheim's cowardly attack. If, by some miracle, he was still alive, he would have tried to contact his nephew by now.

"You don't have anyone, do you?"

That wasn't true, of course. He had Noctis. He had Vesta. He had his friends.

"Your prince?" Ardyn prompted. "The prince who doesn't appreciate a single thing you do for him? Who actively pushes you away? He hasn't been treating you very well lately, hasn't he? Why, if I didn't know better, I'd say he doesn't want you around." But before Ignis could bite back with a retort, the door to the barracks opened and there was the damned man himself.

Feeling cornered and trapped, Ignis felt like a coiled spring, ready to unleash its pent up energy. Ardyn yielded to him once before; he could make him do it again. His body tensed as he weighed his options. Without weapons or magic flasks, his best option would be the magic that his pact with Leviathan gave him.

"I wouldn't, if I were you," Ardyn warned, as if he had read Ignis' mind. "Last time, you were at your most powerful. You could have seriously done some damage and I must confess, I'm a bit of a weakling and I dislike pain. But this time, things are different." Gone was the pale imitation of friendliness he had earlier, replaced only by cruel amusement. "This time, we aren't in Altissia."

Leviathan's hallowed ground, Ignis remembered Ardyn calling it, and he couldn't deny the truth in his words. Altissia was Leviathan's territory, a city made sacred by her presence and her blessings. What few blessing she decided to grant, at any rate. But even without being in the Accordo capital, Ignis was still an Astralbound, the divine chosen servant of Leviathan, blessed with both her favor and her gifts. Ardyn was taking a big risk provoking one.

Ignis struck first, using magic to send a high speed blast of water towards Ardyn, who nimbly sidestepped it. The projectile hit the wall behind him, splattering drops of water everywhere and leaving a small dent in the wall. Water didn't shock like electricity. It lacked the mass of earth or the piercing coldness of ice, so it had to be wielded with speed and power, relying on precision and force to deal damage. He tried again, only to be met with a similar result.

"So quick to anger and violence," Ardyn commented. "The Tidemother's been a terrible influence on you."

Ever since the revelation of the true nature of their relationship was revealed to him, Ignis and Leviathan had come to something of an understanding, and he was offended on the sea serpent's behalf, not only due to his obligations to her, but of a true fondness he had for the timeless being that was the embodiment of water. They still had much to talk about, but at least Ignis felt like he had a stronger connection to her than one of simply master and servant.

"I thought the Tidemother healed your eyesight," Ardyn laughed as he continued to evade every attack aimed at him. "It seems you're still blind, in more ways than one." Seemingly bored with everything, he lunged forward, grabbing Ignis by his shirt. "So let me spell things out in much clearer terms for you." Ignis reached up to grab his wrist in a death grip, but Ardyn didn't notice it at all. "I'm offering you a very good deal here, Ignis, and you should really give it some _thought._ " The final word was punctuated with a powerful throw, sending Ignis straight down into the metal flooring. "Right now, you are nothing. You serve a country that's never been kind to you. One that no longer exists. Your liege is a perpetual child who's royal in name only. You've slaved away your entire life to please them, and what has that gotten you? The answer is _nothing._ "

Watching him from the floor, Ignis tried to respond, but the words did not come to him. It felt as if he had lost his voice and that speaking had suddenly become exponentially more difficult.

 _Ardyn is a liar,_ he told himself, balling his hands into fists. _Nothing he says is true._ How dare the man presume to know how Ignis thought and felt? Ignis has never once believed he was entitled to any sort of reward for his loyalty to the Lucian crown. He was taught to neither need nor want anything. The only thing that mattered was his ability to serve, something he had dedicated his entire life to.

_Do you ever...I don't know, resent it?_

He wasn't sure why he was thinking of those words, thinking of _Prompto_ now, of all times. Back then he had said he was unsure, but he had no regrets. He had a life that others could only dream of having. He was grateful for it. He was happy as he was.

Wasn't he?

Ardyn was staring down at him, a wicked grin on his face, as if he could sense the doubt that had planted itself in Ignis' mind and was beginning to sprout. Joyously, he reached down to grab one of Ignis' horns, pulling on it roughly. It was painful, but Ignis refused to allow Ardyn the satisfaction of seeing him flinch.

"And what of your family? Why should you hold any affection for them? They gave you away as a child as part of a deal. Like you were some sort of commodity to be traded. Meanwhile, your sister now sits at the head of the Tenebraean government and is, for all intents and purposes, queen while you amount to little more than a servant to a country you weren't even born in."

Ignis wanted him to stop. His family loved him. Of that, he was sure. They had always been warm and affectionate whenever he visited them as part of a royal visit. They sent him away because they had to. Giving him to Lucis was an important step in securing a friendly relationship between the two countries. It wasn't because they didn't care for him. Ardyn didn't know anything.

"As for Leviathan, your "other" mother," Ardyn continued, tightening his grip on Ignis' horn and giving him a shake. "I think we both know she sees you as little more than a poor replacement for her dearly departed daughter."

Immediately, he heard Levaithan snarl. "That is not true and you know it! Do not listen to his worthless drivel, my child!" Ignis barely heard her, his attention entirely focused on Ardyn Izunia.

"But it's not all bad for you," Ardyn smiled, releasing his hold on the horn only to grab Ignis by the chin and pulling him closer and closer until their faces were only inches apart. "You're not alone. I understand you. I know what it's like to dedicate your entire life to others only to be discarded like unwanted trash. I can give you the adoration and rewards you _deserve_."

"You don't understand anything," Ignis snapped back, finally finding his voice again.

In response, Ardyn laughed, a loud, guttural sound that echoed throughout the room. "That is your response? Although I shouldn't say I'm surprised. You try to act mature but the truth is you're really quite childish, aren't you? You genuinely believe in lies like loyalty and altruism. You believe in morals and fairy tales. Well, let me tell you something then, something about these myths that you hold so dear to your heart." Ardyn's voice lowered to nearly inaudible levels as he leaned in to whisper in Ignis' ear. "In the stories, the advisor _always_ betrays his king."

Even though Ignis struggled, Ardyn's grip held firm. Gathering all his strength, he put a hand on Ardyn's arm and concentrated, pulling on every ounce of magical strength he had. Instead of water, he created fire in his palm, feeling the heat on his hand spike suddenly before releasing a burst of flames directly onto Ardyn's arm. It was more intense than any burst of Firaga magic he had ever handled, and Ignis genuinely feared he may have burned himself in the process. However, a few burns on his hand would have been well worth the damage he would inflict on Ardyn in return.

But when the flames dissipated, Ardyn was unharmed. There were no burns and no scorch marks. Even his clothes were unmarred and Ignis' eyes widened in disbelief. How was this possible? He had put ever bit of power he had into that, the pain in his hand was proof enough of that. Not even the most resilient of creatures would be able to escape that unscathed.

"You seem confused," Ardyn said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "Allow me to shed a little bit of light on the situation." With his free hand, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing a golden band that tightly encircled his upper arm. It was bright and untarnished, etched with intricate runes and symbols. It was beautiful and otherworldly and any mortal casting their gaze upon it could tell that it was not merely just jewelry. "Ah, you recognize this, I assume?"

Of course Ignis did. Anyone in the world would, for it wasn't a mere accessory. To call it one would probably be considered blasphemous. It was a symbol, universal to all four nations of the planet from Lucis to Niflheim. And despite what it symbolized, it was regarded with a degree of reverence by all who adhered to worship of the Hexatheon and was still respected by those who didn't. His voice was soft as he could only get out a single word: "Ifrit."

"Very good!" Ardyn chirped, letting go of Ignis to give him a condescending clap as if he were praising a child. "I'm glad you stayed awake throughout your culture studies. Now, this may come as a surprise to you, but I wasn't entirely upfront with you regarding my identity, so allow me to introduce myself once again. Properly, this time." He removed his hat and bowed in an exaggerated manner, one hand behind his back and the other sweeping beneath his torso. "My full, true name, titles and all, is Incarnation of Prometheus, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, the Flamespreader."

Whatever fighting desire Ignis had left him as his analytical mind realized the implications of what he was just told. The titles and golden band around his arm were proof of a terrible truth: that Ardyn was an Astralbound, empowered by Ifrit, the Infernian. The Pyreburner. The Betrayer. But even more alarming was the name Ardyn had given him. Ardyn Lucis Caelum. Just that name alone was enough to strike an immense amount of fear into Ignis' being. If Ardyn wasn't lying and that was truly his name, even Ignis couldn't fully foresee what this meant for...everything. The world. The Lucian throne. Noctis.

"So you see, Ignis, this is far more complicated than you initially thought. You've been terribly rude throughout this entire conversation, but I'm perfectly willing to overlook your conduct. My offer still stands: come work with the superior king. Create a brand new, better world with me. I would so deeply appreciate it, and I guarantee you will be rewarded for your efforts." Turning around to leave a still stunned Ignis behind, he opened the door to the barracks, pausing before looking over his shoulder. "Just think about it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Of course, if you'd rather cling to naive ideals, I can't stop you." He chuckled, stepping through the doorway. "But if you've decided that it's time to open your eyes, grow up, and embrace reality, let me know. I'll be waiting."

The door closed and then Ignis was alone with naught but the cold emptiness of Zegnautus Keep to comfort him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god ardyn shut up this entire chapter was just you yammering nonstop
> 
> But seriously who else was disappointed that Ardyn wasn't really trying to tempt Ignis over to the dark side in canon?


	12. Memories of Ice and Cold

"I can't believe you lost Scientia."

Prompto watched as Ravus physically stopped himself from kicking an ornate chair before sitting down in it, supposedly out of some combination of frustration and as a means of self-control.

"The _one_ person out of the lot of you who has something resembling a brain and you go and _lose_ him," Ravus continued, glaring daggers at Gladiolus, who looked as if he was one step away from reaching over to choke him. "Isn't it your entire _job_ to protect people? Yet you can't-"

"Leave him alone," Noctis interrupted. "It's not Gladio's fault." He crossed his arms, affixing Ravus with a look that Prompto had never seen on his face before. It was stern. Authorative. Kingly, even. "Gladio's an amazing shield, and he's not the first person to have lost track of Ignis. Or should I remind you of what happened in Altissia?"

Ravus sputtered. "Still! What if something happens to Scientia because of this!?"

Feeling brave, or perhaps just irritated, Prompto did something he had previously thought impossible: he spoke up against Ravus Nox Fleuret, former Prince of Tenebrae and former High Commander of the Niflheim army. "Look, you're not the only one worried about him. We all are." And part of him wondered where Ravus got off acting like he was the most concerned. He was the one who knew Ignis the least out of everybody present.

Beside him, he head Lunafreya sigh, and it was a powerful reminder that the wise and kind Oracle was still also just a human herself. "Please," she said. "We can't devolve into arguments and throw blame around every single time something goes wrong." She put a few fingers to her forehead and Prompto started to suspect that there was something more going on than exasperation at scene going on in front of her.

"Hey," he asked, and after a brief moment's hesitation. "You okay?"

"They're not the only ones who are arguing," Lunafreya said. "The Astrals are now in an uproar as well."

A flash of deep sympathy shot through Prompto. It was bad enough when his mortal friends weren't getting along. But to deal with humans arguing on one end and Astrals on the other? That must be awful for her. As if on cue, he could hear Ramuh's voice in his head and for the first time, not speaking to him.

"Leviathan," the Stormsender said, as if he were trying to placate the great serpent. "I know you are upset, however-" He suddenly stopped as if cut off and Prompto could feel his patron Astral's annoyance. "Anger is not going to solve the problem."

A glance over at Gladiolus and Aranea told Prompto that they were hearing similar things from their Astrals. "So, uh, what's Leviathan saying?"

Lunafreya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. With the ability to hear all the voices of the Six, she most certainly had it the worst of all of them. "To paraphrase, she's demanding Ignis be rescued at this very moment and calling the other four useless."

"She has told us where he is," Ramuh added, this time actually speaking to Prompto. "It seems that he has-" He paused and Prompto realized that Ramuh's normally infinite well of patience beginning to wear thin. "No, Leviathan, I am not ignoring you." A clearing of a throat. "It seems he has been taken to Gralea in Niflheim. _Yes_ , Leviathan, we will go save your son."

Despite the tense situation, Prompto smiled. "Did she really call Ignis her son?"

"Yes, but she is now denying it vehemently."

Aranea stood up from her seat. "So we have our next destination then."

Gladiolus crossed his arms and nodded. "To Gralea, then."

From the other side of the room, Noctis spoke up. "That's great, but, uh, how about an explanation for those of us who can't hear god voices in our heads?" Beside him, Ravus scowled in agreement.

* * *

To Prompto's endless gratitude, the train ride to Gralea was both uneventful and dreadfully boring. Even by train, it would take a few days for them to reach Gralea. Unlike their last time on a train, it was empty save for himself and his friends, as now that Tenebrae and Niflheim were officially in hostilities with each other, civilian travel between the two had completely stopped a few days after the former's declaration of independence from the latter. The train was operated by Aranea's band of mercenaries with Biggs and Wedge at the helm. Prompto didn't question the fact that the two apparently knew how to operate a train and frankly, just accepted that the two could apparently do anything their boss required them to.

The train was small, consisting of only a few cars that provided the essentials for long distance train travel. There were cabin cars providing places for the passengers and the workers to sleep, a dining car for food, and a sitting car for recreation. While Prompto was no stranger to cramped living quarters, having spent many a night sharing a caravan with three other men during this adventure and the size of the train provided far more space, he still felt rather confined, his self-diagnosed mild claustrophobia deciding to rear its ugly head.

Memories of what happened the last time he was on a train did not help.

He spent time with his friends whenever he could. As much as he felt bad for thinking it, however, Noctis wasn't being much fun. Losing Ignis had triggered something with him, turning his best friend into a ball of negative emotions. They would spend a few minutes talking or playing King's Knight together, but it was obvious that Noctis' heart wasn't in it and Prompto would soon decide to give him space. After all, Noctis wasn't the only one missing Ignis something fierce and being around Noctis for too long would only make Prompto less able to stop himself from falling into the same state.

Gladiolus would have been better company, but the Shield's free time was scarce. In the absence of Ignis and perhaps seeking some kind of stability, Noctis had turned to their friend, almost monopolizing him, and whenever they tried to hang out as a group, everything was off and awkward and Prompto would eventually just excuse himself whenever Noctis came around seeking Gladiolus' comfort.

He knew by now that their dynamic was just completely off whenever one of them was missing. It happened when Gladiolus decided to leave for a while, and he was told that something similar happened when Prompto was pushed off the train to Tenebrae, but it was worse because they didn't know where he was, if he was safe, or if he would be returning to them. And now Ignis was gone and Prompto now knew what that felt like. It sucked. He missed Ignis. A lot. He missed Ignis' cooking, his lame puns, and his exasperated sighs as he tried to herd the other three into the right direction. He missed Ignis' kindness, his calming presence, and the stronger bond they had forged in Tenebrae. According to Leviathan, Lunafreya had said, Ignis was alive, but being held captive in Zegnautus Keep, the heart of Gralea and its fearsome army, and Prompto was more than ready to storm the place and find him. And when they did find him, Prompto was going to hug him and not let go for at least, like, an hour.

He wondered if it was normal to think things like that.

His time was instead spent alone, with Lunafreya, Aranea, and even Ravus on occasion. Prompto listened to the radio, watched television, borrowed some of Gladiolus' books to read, and also simply watched the landscape go by. As the snow and mountains of Niflheim came into view, he vaguely recalled his history and geography lessons from school, remembering that Niflheim didn't always look like this. It wasn't always a frozen wasteland. It was once warm, with lush forests and even deserts until the Empire killed Shiva. Except they didn't because Shiva was alive and had a covenant with Aranea. Except she was still also dead because you can see her huge dead body on the way to Gralea. Aranea tried to explain it to him once, that Shiva and the Astrals exist on two separate, yet connected planes of reality and so it's kind of like there's two Shivas except there isn't and at that point, Prompto decided he didn't want to know after all.

Gazing out into the snowy hills of Niflheim with its infinite whiteness and frost covered conifer trees, Prompto found himself admiring the view. It made him feel oddly peaceful. As peaceful as he could be, given the facts that someone he deeply cared for was being held prisoner in enemy territory and they were about to go into the heart of said enemy territory to get him back.

Prompto thought he would hate Niflheim. That he would dread returning to it and be assaulted by intense terror at the mere thought of it. Instead, he found himself able to marvel at the beauty of the landscape, the layers of snow reminding him of happy things like clouds, frosting, and Lunafreya's dress. He lifted his camera to snap a few shots, thinking about the fact that so much awfulness lurked behind that beauty. There would be no snow if Shiva hadn't been slain, and Niflheim was the home of the enemy: the power hungry Emperor Aldercapt and his corrupt government. Not to mention Ardyn.

He felt no terror. He felt no anger. All Prompto felt was a calm melancholy as he remembered what happened at the First Magitek Production Facility as well as a persistent sense of hurt, not enough to be debilitating, but strong enough to be impossible to ignore. The memories were still strong and raw, and this time, he had no one that he could talk to about them.

After what felt like an eternity in winter, but in reality was just two days later, Biggs announced over the train's PA system that they were pulling into Gralea.

Graela was not unlike Tenebrae and Insomnia, a city that was centralized around a single, large structure. But instead of a beautiful castle, that structure was Zegnautus Keep, a huge, metal, souless hunk of metal that took up far too much space. In terms of raw square footage, it probably even outdid the Citadel in Insomnia even if it couldn't match it in height. It was just wide instead of tall. It was an eyesore, especially when compared to the city around it, which had architecture that was much more pleasing to the eye to look at. The snow dusted buildings of Gralea were beautiful in their own way. Small, modest homes lined the streets with warm lights illuminating the windows and smoke drifting from chimneys.

Prompto imagined families huddled together by a fireplace, safe and warm from the harsh cold outside. He wondered, briefly, what his life would be like if he had been born a normal citizen of Niflheim rather than as a genetic clone that was meant to be a disposable tool of war. Would he have a family of people who looked just like him with blond hair and pale skin nearly as white as the snow around them? Would he have a loving mother and father? What about siblings? He thought he would like to have a younger sister that would look up to him and adore him the same way Iris loved Gladiolus.

"Where is everybody?" he heard Noctis say behind him, disrupting his daydreams of normalcy. Ill equipped for winter weather, the prince rubbed his arms in a feeble attempt for warmth. Prompto wasn't exactly warm either, but he seemed to be faring better. Perhaps it was his Niflheim blood that made him better suited for colder weather. Noctis looked to Ravus and Aranea. "Is it common for nobody to be out?"

Ravus shrugged, saying that most of his time in Niflheim was spent in Zegnautus Keep and that he was, shamefully, ignorant of much of Niflheim's culture despite the fact that he had previously pledged allegiance to it. Aranea, however, shook her head.

"No," she answered. "The people of Gralea try to minimize their time outdoors, but that doesn't mean avoiding it altogether. She gestured to a line of shops, interiors dark and with closed signs hanging on the doors. "It's only eight at night and every single store is closed. Usually, they're open until at least ten."

"Can we wonder about this somewhere else?" Gladiolus asked, arms crossed and most definitely regretting his decision to be shirtless. "Is there a hotel or something around here?"

As it turned out, there was a small family owned inn only a few city blocks away. Like every other business, the sign on the front door said it was closed, but persistent and repeated knocking eventually caused the owner, an older balding gentleman with a light gray beard, to answer.

"Travelers?" he asked, surprise on his face. "At a time like this?" He didn't wait for an answer before opening the door wider. "Well, don't just stand there, get in before you catch cold!" Although the man was old, he moved with the speed of a Crownsguard, ushering the group into the small lobby and having his wife bring them hot drinks. Prompto gripped the mug of offered hot chocolate and inhaled deeply before taking a sip. "You're an unusual bunch," the man commented, surveying the group before settling his gaze on Noctis and Gladiolus. "You two Lucian?"

"Uh, yeah," Noctis answered, unsure of what to say.

"Don't see many Lucians around here for obvious reasons," the innkeeper contined. "I'd tell you to enjoy your stay, but with the lockdown, you won't be able to enjoy anything our beautiful city has to offer. You lot picked the absolute worst time for a vacation." Before anyone could ask about what he meant, the man reached over to turn on a nearby radio that was repeatedly broadcasting a government message ordering that all citizens were to stay indoors and not leave their homes under any circumstances. No details as to why were given. "You can stay as long as you like," the man said as he switched the device off. "It's not like we're going to get any other customers like this."

Feeling a bit bad for the innkeeper, the party paid for their rooms and offered to help around the inn. Noctis and Prompto had taken up dish washing duty and were well into the task when they felt a pair of eyes on them. Turning around, they saw the innkeeper's young grandson staring at them. Or more specifically, staring at Noctis in particular.

"Why's your hair black?" the child, who could be no more than six years old, asked.

"Because I was born this way," Noctis answered as he rinsed a dish and placed it on a nearby drying rack.

"Oh," the child said. "Does it feel weird?"

Noctis blinked. "No?"

"Does it make your head hot when you go outside?"

"Maybe a little, but not really."

"Does it mean you're a bad person?"

Noctis paused, nearly dropping the glass he had picked up. "...no."

The child stared at him, apparently trying to decide whether that was an acceptable answer or not before turning around to leave. "Okay. Bye, weirdo."

The pair watched them go and as soon as the kid was out of earshot, Noctis turned to Prompto. "Is this what it's like to be you?"

Prompto laughed. "Yeah. It is."

* * *

First thing next morning, the group left the inn under the guise that they were going to go sightseeing. In a city where all of the citizens were forbidden to go outside. The innkeeper gave them a look of obvious doubt, but he did nothing to stop them.

Zegnautus Keep somehow looked even larger up close. They were at one of the side entrances used for moving vehicles in and out of the building and the sliding metal doors looked imposing, like they were staring at the maw of a great creature that wanted to swallow them whole.

"So, how are we getting in?" Ravus asked. "It's not as if I can use my credentials to open the door."

"Why not?" Aranea asked. "There's no harm in trying."

"Do you really think Niflheim would be so foolish to not revoke my access to their primary military stronghold located in their capital city?"

Aranea's answer was immediate and simple. "Yes. You said so yourself: the army is run primarily by idiots."

"...you have a point," Ravus conceded and went up to the door, pulling out a keycard from a pocket and swiping it at a nearby keypad before entering a code. The massive metal doors hissed and creaked open for them. "...well then." Beside him, Lunafreya giggled.

Upon entry, the group already had their weapons drawn, expecting to be confronted by scores of magitek troopers. However, the loading dock they had found themselves in was mostly empty, save for the odd trooper shambling around in seemingly random directions.

"What is this?" Ravus demanded. "This isn't how the keep should be. There should be at least fifty soldiers and a dozen maintenance personnel in this area alone."

As if to answer him, they heard the familiar lurching of daemons, pools of miasma gathering and the otherworldly horrors spilling out.

"Daemons?" Araena gasped. "Loose? Here?"

Gladiolus was already swinging his greatsword at a nearby group of goblins. "Less talk, more fight!"

The daemons seemed endless, appearing just as quickly as they were slain. Running became an appealing option as the group of six decided to down a hallway, Ravus in the lead as he was familiar with the entire layout of the keep. Although he wasn't normally a fan of tight spaces, corridors of the keep became Prompto's best friend as they bottlenecked the flow of daemons and even barred several of the larger breeds from pursuing them altogether. He brought up the rear of the group, occasionally turning around to shoot down any daemon that was beginning to get too close.

Ravus led them into a large room meant for security where they shut the doors and Prompto ran to the nearby security console to lock them electronically. With thick, solid metal doors, the daemons outside had little chance of getting in and everyone could have a few moments to catch their breaths.

Or so they thought.

It was barely audible at first. Prompto had originally just dismissed the voice as the growling of the daemons lurking right outside the door. But it grew steadily louder and louder and he would have thought he was hallucinating before realizing that everyone else was hearing it too.

"...ring..." he heard. "The ring...give me the ring...!"

Suddenly, Gladiolus moved with a speed Prompto didn't realize the man was capable of. "Noct!" Gladiolus called out, grabbing Noctis by the arm and pulling him roughly. A moment later, a creature, a daemon that none of them had ever seen before, dropped down from the ceiling. It was almost humanoid in appearance, standing upright on two legs with two arms, with a torso and a head, but that was where the similarities ended. Wrinkled skin the color of diseased and decaying skin covered its emaciated body, arms elongated adorned with ragged, vestigial wings that couldn't possibly be used for flight hanging off its body. Its digitgrade legs ended in beastlike talons, like some sort of cruel mockery of a chocobo. Sharp protrusions stuck out from both the crook of its elbows and its back, and they didn't look pleasant to be pierced by.

"I need the ring!" the daemon screeched. "I must have it! The Crystal...the Crystal...!"

The last time Prompto heard a talking daemon, it had tried to make him her child. Talking daemons were bad news.

Ravus stepped forward. "Emperor Aldercapt!?"

" _That's_ the emperor?" Noctis gasped, still in Gladiolus' protective hold and unable to take his eyes off the monster.

"It is!" Aranea confirmed as the realization dawned on her. "That's his voice! He's been turned into a daemon!"

"The Crystal and its power are mine!" the daemon formerly known as Iedolas Aldercapt shrieked, lunging towards Noctis, who didn't once complain about being protected as Gladiolus used his shield to repel the attack.

"You want him?" Gladiolus growled. "You gotta get through me first!"

As if rising to the challenge, the daemon snarled and swiped blindly at him. The shield blocked most of the blows, but a few scratches got through, tearing through the skin and raking the flesh below.

"Gladio!" Noctis gasped as he wriggled himself free from his Shield's protective grasp and affixing the daemon with a stare before throwing the Engine Blade directly into the beast's chest and warping to it to pull it out. The attack was followed up by Gladiolus pushing Noctis to the side to bring down his greatsword in a one-handed overhead swing that landed on one of the daemon's arms, nearly slicing the limb off.

Aranea and Ravus joined the fight, their weapons drawn and assaulting the monster from the back and the sides as Prompto carefully aimed his gun to both hit strategic locations on the daemon's body and avoid shooting his own friends in the process.

In the end, Emperor Aldercapt turned out to be simply just another daemon, albeit one that could talk. He had stood no chance whatsoever against them and any injuries he inflicted were minor, nothing a first aid kit, a potion, or just the smallest sliver of Lunafreya's powers couldn't patch up with ease. They had just finished tending to the last of the wounds when Prompto had a deep and important realization.

"You guys," he said. "Did we just, uh, kill the Emperor of Niflheim?"

As if to answer, the door to the room creaked before sliding open.

"I do believe that's exactly what you lot just did."

"Ardyn!" Noctis hissed as the person they least wanted to see strolled into the room with a damnable smile on his face. "Where's Ignis!?"

"Oh, is that what you're here for?" Ardyn asked, feigning surprise. "So _now_ you care about him? Now that he's no longer there to clean up all your collective messes? I think I'd be doing him a favor keeping you away."

Gladiolus snorted. "Cut the crap. Just tell us where he is already!" He punched his palm with a fist. "Or we'll make you."

"How barbaric," Ardyn commented, only to find himself shoved against a wall not by the King's Shield, but by Prompto, who had one hand pinning him down and his gun in his other, inches away from Ardyn's forehead. For a split second, an expression of genuine shock crossed Ardyn's face before it was quickly changed to one of calmness. It was fake, much like many of Ardyn's other expressions and words, but this time, Prompto could feel it through the hand keeping Ardyn pinned to the wall.

Prompto pushed the barrel of his gun closer. "Where is he?"

Ardyn seemed to weigh his options before answering with a nonchalant, "Why do you want to know? And why do you care, for that matter."

"That's none of your business," Prompto growled. He didn't notice the slight sparks of electricity around his arm or the fact that his gun was beginning to grow cold in his hand.

"Temper, temper," Ardyn said. "And here I thought Ramuh was the level headed one."

From behind Prompto, a voice that he would just barely recognize as Aranea's called out. "Hey, kid- Prompto. Calm down." He paid no attention to it.

"Just tell me where he is," Prompto snapped.

"Around," Ardyn answered. "You see, Ignis is here as my guest and he can go wherever he pleases in this keep. I don't make a habit of watching him every moment of every day. He is, after all, an _adult_."

There was something in the way Ardyn said that last word that enraged Prompto.

"Prompto," Ardyn said, changing the subject as if they were just making light conversation. "This situation is rather familiar, isn't it? It's just like that time on the train. Me, unarmed and helpless and you, pointing a firearm directly at my face. Ah, the memories. Although this time, I don't think Noctis is going to push you off the train, seeing as we're not standing on top of a locomotive at this very moment."

"He's just trying to rile you up," Gladiolus' voice said, and it sounded very far away. "Don't fall for it!"

"Going to kill me, are you?" Ardyn continued. "I can feel your malicious intent radiating off of you like an aura. Does this mean you're going to reveal your true nature at last? I always knew you were a murderer, Prompto."

A murderer.

Him?

"Prompto?" Noctis' voice was so close. As if he were right behind him. A hand hovered over Prompto's shoulder, but before it could make contact, a burst of loud laughter sounded throughout the room, echoing off the metal walls. Noctis stepped back, eyes wide.

Prompto closed his eyes and let the tears run freely down his face as his laughter began to die down.

Really, it was just so _funny._ "Yeah, I'm a killer," he said. "You know that time you locked me up in that facility? You know how many MTs I killed while I was there? The ones that were still in their tubes? I'll tell you: it was one hundred and thirty-one. I counted. One hundred and thirty-one MTs that weren't even born yet." He opened his eyes, Ardyn saw that they were red with the power of Ramuh. "Compared to that? Killing you is easy."

And then he pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :')


	13. To Live Forever

Noctis watched, stunned, as Prompto shot Ardyn directly in the face.

He could barely understand what had just happened. Although he knew why, he had never seen Prompto so angry. Or more importantly, so troubled. He knew what had happened to Prompto during his absence from the rest of the group. Prompto told the story himself, after all. But Noctis hadn't realized that it had affected him so _deeply._ Is that what Prompto really thought? How he really felt? Even though Noctis had told him that he was still Prompto and nothing between them had changed?

There was no time to ponder these questions, however, as Noctis dared to step to the side to look at Ardyn's dead body. What he saw, however, was a wide eyed Prompto staring down at the corpse, which twitched and moved before a hand reached forward to shove Prompto away. The newly freed dead body of Ardyn Izunia stood up straight and stretched, the bullet hole in his head closed, mending itself completely and it was as if he had never been shot in the first place.

"Excellent, Prompto," Ardyn said, brushing off his clothes. "A stupendous performance. I must admit, I didn't think you'd actually do it. My, how you've grown. For a second there, I had truly thought Death had at last come for me, but alas, that's not how immortality works. Although it was still very painful. A most unpleasant experience. I don't recommend being shot in the head at all."

"What..." Noctis stammered in disbelief, as Ardyn walked past him nonchalantly. "What the hell!?"

"Immortality, were you not listening?" Ardyn shrugged. Gladiolus, Ravus, and Aranea had their weapons out, but didn't move to attack him. What was the point? If Ardyn could simply get right back up after being shot in the head, blades and spears weren't going to get a better result. "Although it didn't quite go as expected, this has been a most enlightening experience for all involved. I must thank you for disposing of that pesky emperor for me. For some reason, he refused to be obedient and I do so hate getting my hands dirty. Regardless, it's not far to the Crystal now, that is what you're here for, isn't it?"

Noctis glared at him. "We're here for Ignis."

Ardyn's face twisted to one of disgust. "Ignis. Of course. How could I forget? Well, you should be able to pick him up on your way there. That fool should be moping somewhere nearby. I suggest you hurry though: it's been a few days and he's been looking rather listless."

They didn't need to be told twice. When their options were to leave and find Ignis or stay listening to some bastard they couldn't even kill, the choice was easy. As they pushed past Ardyn one by one, he chuckled and waved goodbye to them, his trademark insincere smile back on his face.

* * *

Prompto led the charge down Zegnautus Keep's hallways, listening whenever Ravus would tell him they were heading for a dead end, but he was a man with a mission. Anything that got in their way, magitek trooper or daemon, wouldn't deter him. Noctis watched as Prompto would casually grab Niflheim weaponry off weapon racks in the hall and use them to dispatch everything that barred his path. He would gun down waves of daemons with a single submachine gun then toss the weapon aside once it had been emptied of all its ammunition.

"He's like a whole 'nother person," Noctis muttered to Gladiolus, who was sticking closely to his side.

"Well, yeah," Gladiolus said, watching as Prompto picked up a Lumen Flare from a half filled box of grenades. "It's Iggy we're talking about here."

"What's Ignis got to do with this?" Noctis asked.

Gladiolus snorted. "What, you haven't noticed? Never mind, of course you haven't." He ignored the sound of protest Noctis made as they rounded a corner. "Prompto's been different since the day he got back to us in Tenebrae. Iggy's been...I guess you could say he's been helping him work through stuff. Don't ask for the details. I don't know 'em. I ain't _that_ nosy."

"I never realized," Noctis muttered as he watched Aranea jog ahead, yelling at Prompto to slow down. Instead of listening to her, Prompto nearly yanked the wristbands on his right arm down to put his barcode underneath a scanner next to a door, which beeped in acknowledgement before opening to let him in.

"You're dense as hell," Gladiolus said. "And you've kind of been actively pushing everyone away lately." When Noctis asked what he had meant by _dense_ , Gladiolus rolled his eyes. "We've got more important things to worry about right now."

As if on cue, Aranea's voice echoed down the hallway. "Guys, we found him!"

There was, perhaps, no image more alarming than that of Ignis Scientia seated on the floor of the Niflheim throne room next to the remains of what appeared to be a large and complex machine. The mixture of both water and fire damage to the device left little doubt to the identity of who had destroyed it.

Noctis called out Ignis' name, but before he could get to him, Prompto beat him to it, kneeling down in front of him.

"Ignis?" Prompto said, and he was completely different from the Prompto who had just stormed the halls of the keep. Different from the Prompto who stared Ardyn Izunia down with furious red eyes and shot him point blank. But he also wasn't the Prompto that Noctis was used to: the Prompto who would joke around and whine about...well, many things, but mostly bugs. "Ignis, hey. It's us. It's me. We're here now."

"Prompto?" Ignis asked, his voice hoarse. "You came."

"Of course I did!" Prompto said. "You think I could just abandon you? After everything we've been through? After everything you've done for me? Don't be silly. I don't know what that bastard Ardyn told you, but he's wrong."

"Prompto," a third voice, Lunafreya's, spoke up. "If you'll allow me to..."

After a moment's confusion, Prompto nearly jumped aside. "Oh...oh! Right! Please, uh, go ahead. Sorry."

Lunafreya smiled and took his spot in front of Ignis. She examined him up and down before putting a hand on his shoulder, letting a bit of the magic of the Oracle flow through. "He's not injured, but he's not in good shape either. I don't think he's eaten at all."

A short break was in order, with everyone deciding to rest in abandoned throne room. Prepackaged food and Cup Noodles were passed around and Prompto practically glued himself to Ignis' side, apparently not caring what anyone thought of that, and the pieces began to slowly fall into place for Noctis, who simply let out a quiet "oh," in response. Reeling from the revelation, he looked to the ruined machine that lined the wall in front of him. "What's this?"

"Niflheim technology," Ignis answered. "It's some sort of device that blocks your magic. If I were doomed to die here, I wanted to at least destroy it."

"Don't talk like that!" Noctis said. Lunafreya had said Ignis was going to be okay, but if they hadn't found him...no. Ignis wasn't going to die. He can't die, and suddenly, Noctis found himself overwhelmed with emotion. Even though he was trapped here in this keep, Ignis had thought of him and how to protect him. Like he always did. Ignis, who had always wanted nothing more than to help him. "I'm sorry," Noctis added. "I'm sorry for all the times I yelled at you. I'm sorry for everything I blamed you for that wasn't your fault. I'm sorry I was so horrible to you."

"It's alright, Noct," Ignis replied, leaning on Prompto. "I'm none the worse for wear."

 _Liar._ Noctis thought. _It's not alright. You're not fine. Why can't you get mad at me like I deserve?_

Ignis was not ready to talk about what he had happened over the past couple days and a part of Noctis wondered if he would ever be. Ignis didn't talk about things. More accurately, he talked a lot about everything except himself. He could lecture about the importance of eating vegetables for an hour, but if he was asked anything too personal, Ignis became tight lipped. And so, it was no surprise when asked what had happened, the royal advisor would only shake his head and refuse to say anything about the subject. Maybe he would share them another day. Maybe he would share them with someone else. Maybe he'd never share them ever and Noctis accepted that fact. A part of him was even happy for it, because that meant there was a part of Ignis that would remain separate from him.

It would be several hours before they left throne room, each of them trying to rest in a cold, uncomfortable place inside enemy territory where they needed to be alert and on edge. Although Noctis expected to hear Ardyn's nauseating chuckles at any moment, the party was left in relative peace without a single daemon or immortal to bother them.

* * *

With the daemonification and subsequent death of Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt, Niflheim essentially no longer had a government, although it seemed like its citizens had yet to be made aware of that, all of them stuck in their homes under a lockdown that had yet to be lifted. However, that didn't mean that they could leave an object as important and as powerful as the Crystal in Gralea. It would take only a single power hungry opportunist to cause a whole new wave of trouble. The Crystal rightfully belonged to the Lucis Caelum family and it would need to be returned to the kingdom.

Ardyn had made it clear that he wanted them to reach the Crystal. For what purpose was unknown, but Noctis knew there wasn't any other choice: one way or another, they had to go and get it. Finding it wasn't a problem: the emperor's obsession with acquiring the Crystal meant that he had long ago created a specially made holding area for it and Ravus knew exactly where it was. The journey there was short and uneventful. Both magitek troopers and daemons watched them from safe distances and Noctis would experience an involuntary shudder whenever he felt eyes upon him.

The Crystal was an object of unspeakable power and just the sight of it alone would make a person understand why Emperor Aldercapt wanted it so badly. It was otherworldly, something beyond human comprehension. Even Noctis, whose family line and destiny has always been tied to the stone, felt mystified and awed by it.

At first, it started as a whisper in the back of his mind, a soundless voice that he could nonetheless hear. It didn't speak any words, but he knew what it wanted him to do. His left hand reached for one of his pockets, undoing the button keeping it shut and sliding a hand inside where the Ring of the Lucii had been kept safe ever since Lunafreya had given it back to him in Altissia. He had never put it on. He never even tried it, feeling as if he was unworthy to have it on his hand. But now he understood that he only needed to wait for the right time to slide it onto the middle finger of his hand. It fit perfectly, as if it were made for him. And maybe it was.

Once it's on, the voice was joined by another. And another. More soundless voices joined in until there's an entire chorus. Noctis never liked crowds. He found them loud, intrusive, and overwhelming and he spent a decent chunk of his childhood learning to deal with them without having a panic attack. But these voices didn't bother him. Instead, they guided him, telling him to go forward and before he even took a single step, he knew his destination.

A hand grabbed onto his arm and he turned around to see Gladiolus.

"Don't," Gladiolus said. "Don't go in there, Noct."

"I'm going," he replied, trying to tug his arm free, but Gladiolus had some of the strongest human hands on the planet.

"Titan says-" Gladiolus hesitated, eyes darting to the side for one second before looking down at Noctis. "Titan says if you go in there, you might not come out. And even if you do, it might take a long time."

Tearing his gaze off the Crystal, Noctis looked up at his Shield to see unrestrained worry and fear on his face. It was not an expression he was used to seeing on Gladiolus, who was always calm or confident or angry. This was a look that the man usually reserved for his family, a look that was often meant for Iris or Jared or Talcott.

"Don't," Gladiolus repeated, and he almost sounded desperate. "I can't...you don't have to do this, you know."

 _He can't what?_ Noctis wondered, but Gladiolus had never been good at expressing himself and Noctis had never been good at reading people, especially when they hide things. He wasn't aware of Prompto's conflicts and there's much about Ignis he now realized he didn't understand. Of course there's something about Gladiolus too. And he knew it had something to do with him. It always had something to do with him. He's the one at the center of all this. The cause, direct or otherwise, of everyone's misery.

"Nobody is making me do anything," Noctis said, shaking his head, strands of black hair swaying with the movement. "This is something I'm choosing to do."

He heard a laugh beside him, but it's quiet and tainted with resignation, not the deep, jovial belly laughs that he knew. The ones that made a dangerous situation less dire or something serious seem trivial.

"Now, of all times..." Gladiolus muttered, then released his hold on Noctis' arm. "Now, of all times, you decide to step up and be king."

"I'll come back," Noctis said. "And I promise I won't be there for long. So, wait for me?"

Gladiolus snorted and frowned before giving him a light punch in the shoulder. "Never mind. I was wrong. A king's supposed to give commands and be confident. But, fine," the words were accompanied by a roll of the eyes. "I'll wait for you. However long it takes. It's what I always do, isn't it?"

And it's with confidence that Noctis summoned his sword, threw it with all his strength at the crystal, and poured every last ounce of magic he possessed into warping to it as quickly as possible.

* * *

At first, he had no idea where he was. Noctis opened his eyes and all he saw was a vast sea of nothingness and he was caught up in it. He reached out with his arms and kicked with his legs, but any and all attempts at movement were futile. Or perhaps they were not. He couldn't really tell, but it certainly didn't feel like he was moving. There was no feeling of air pushing back against his limbs, and yet, he still drew breath. He decided that he probably shouldn't think about it too much.

It was impossible for him to know how much time he spent suspended, moving or otherwise, when he saw a tiny light in the distance. It grew and larger as he approached it, it approached him, or they approached each other until it exploded so brightly he had to lift an arm to shield his eyes lest he get blinded.

The light slowly faded and once he felt safe enough to open his eyes again, Noctis found himself staring down a huge figure wearing draconic armor. He must have been several hundred feet in height and although Leviathan was taller when she reared back to full height, this Astral somehow seemed bigger, stronger, and more intimidating. And Leviathan was already big, strong, and intimidating.

"Bahamut," Noctis breathed. He recognized him, of course. Bahamut was near synonymous with Lucian royalty. His image adorned many of the royal symbols. He was the very reason magic flowed through his veins.

"Chosen King," Bahamut nodded. "Long have I awaited your arrival. We have much to speak about."

And Noctis listened patiently, hearing about the story of Ardyn Izunia, the lost true first king of the Lucis Caelum line, the story of a healer who decided to hurt when he was denied recognition and reward for his efforts. He waited quietly as Bahamut told him that he was the one destined to stop him, that generations of Lucis Caelum have been accumulating their power to create something strong enough for him to wield and destroy the Accursed.

"Do you have any questions?" Bahamut asked once he was finished.

"Yeah, I do," Noctis answered before taking a deep breath. "Here's the only thing I want to know: where have _you_ been?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me," Noctis growled, glaring upward into Bahamut's eyes, the only features of the Astral's true face he could see. "The world's in trouble and you've been what, hiding here in wherever this is all this time?"

Bahamut leaned in closer. " _Hiding_ , you say?"

"All you've done is given my family magic, Luna's family magic, and a stupid rock that we fight wars over," Noctis continued. "You just handed these things to us, told us to fend for ourselves, and just straight up disappeared!"

Bahamut let out a growl. "And you humans do what, expect us to fix and solve every problem that comes your way? I think you understand by now that we are not, as your people put it, "gods." We are not all powerful beings who can whisk problems away with a wave of our hands. If we could destroy the Starscourge and the Accursed, we would have done it a thousand years ago."

Noctis scowled, but before he could say anything, Bahamut continued.

"Your race is lucky we even showed you any kindness to begin with. I don't see what Ramuh finds so fascinating about your kind. Ifrit was a fool. He should have never shared knowledge with humans, and worse, he enticed Shiva to join him in this senseless fondness. Titan should have let that meteor strike the earth. Instead, he held for centuries and failed to contain the evil lurking with it. And Leviathan! She's the worst of them all! Falling in love with a human and starting a family with him? Even after all these years, she still obsesses over that mistake."

"Who said anything about the others?" Noctis yelled, and even as he did, his voice felt tiny. But he knew it could be heard, and that was enough. "You know what? At least the others _tried_. Even if they weren't successful, even if they were betrayed in the end, all the Astrals tried to help us. All of them...except you!"

They were mere feet apart now and Noctis forced himself to quell his anger, as much as he wanted to yell at the Draconian. He didn't come here to have a screaming match with a gigantic otherworldly dragon man. He had better uses for his time than that, and if he wanted an argument, he had Ravus, who was much more fun to poke at. Instead, he asked a question.

"You're an Astral. Where's your Astralbound?"

Bahamut turned his head away in disgust. "Nowhere. I have never had a human servant."

"Figures," Noctis muttered. All of the other Astrals had one, so he had naturally assumed Bahamut did as well, but seeing the way the final Astral looked down on humans with such disgust and contempt, it made more sense that he had never forged a covenant to begin with. "Well, I'm here."

"You?"

"Me," Noctis summoned every bit of courage he had before manifesting the Engine Blade into his hand and pointing it right between Bahamut's eyes. "I'm the Chosen King, aren't I? It was _your_ actions that resulted in me being right here, right now. I came here for one reason, and that's to make you help us and I'm not leaving until you do."

"Do you understand what you're asking?" Bahamut questioned, his tone clearly a warning. "It is one thing to simply reform a covenant that was made before you were even born. It is another to be the one who creates it. Chosen King, do you understand what this will mean for you? It means your soul will be continuously reborn. You will experience life over and over again as countless people, each with their unique form and personality. You will be trapped in a never ending cycle of life and death. For as long as I live, you will never know true rest and will be unable to cross to the other side. Knowing that you will face life's hardships over and over again, is this the fate you would choose for yourself?"

It wasn't a concept that Noctis could truly grasp. He spoke to all of his Astralbound friends and none of them could remember living any past lives, only learning about them through dreams, books, and what they were told. But surely some primal part of them deep inside must have remembered. They handled their god given gifts without difficulty, wielding their powers as if they've had years of practice. Even the magic of the two royal families were not like that: it took intensive training to be able to warp or to heal. Even summoning an item from the Armiger took months of practice to perfect at best. It could take a year or more for someone to learn to conjure a weapon from it without risk of hurting themselves.

No, it was not something Noctis could understand. Maybe after living a few lives he might. And truthfully, the idea of it did scare him. Being Lucian, a member of the royal family even, meant that death played a unique role in his life. Lucians did not think of death the same way the rest of the world did. People were naturally scared of death, of course. They grieved their lost loved ones and struggled for life just as much as the other nations. However, where the Niflheim Empire sought to live forever, Lucis believed that death was only a new beginning. The end of one chapter of a person's life before moving on to the next.

What Bahamut was saying that to become an Astralbound would be to deny himself that second chapter. He would go back to the beginning and write a new first chapter. And when he finished that one, he'd go back again. And again. And again. He'd repeat this for an unknown eternity.

"In that case," Noctis said. "If I come back as a girl in my next life, I hope I'm pretty."

But he would not have to go through it alone. His friends would also reincarnate, and with luck, they would bond and grow with each other just like they did in this life. With each life they lived, hopefully, they would make the world just a little bit better each time.

A better world in their next lives sounded nice. A better world in the life he was in now sounded even better.

It wasn't a hard decision at all, really.

"It seems you've decided," Bahamut said. "Very well. Show me what it is about humans that enraptured my fellow Astrals. I, Bahamut, offer you the force of will itself. Weapons of all kinds shall answer your calls and the strength of magic shall be another tool in your arsenal. In return, you will show me what it is about humans that have captivated the other Astrals so completely. To walk the path of Bahamut is to walk the path of purpose. You will be weighed down by burden and inspire conviction in others. Do you accept this hardship?"

There was no other possible choice for him and no other choice he wanted. "I, Noctis Lucis Caelum, accept."

"Then, Noctis Lucis Caelum, first of many to come, I bestow upon you the title of Lifegiver. Be as sharp as a sword and bright as as star. This future is yours to decide as you see fit."

The power was overwhelming, as if he were being overwhelmed by light. If Bahamut appearing before him was blinding, being imbued with his power felt like he was burning from the inside out. He refused to cry out, wanting to prove the strength of humans to Bahamut. He instead shut his eyes, focusing on enduring the pain.

When Noctis opened his eyes, he was lying on the cold metal floor of Zegnautus Keep, looking directly at a pair of shoes. Lifting his head, he directed his gaze upward to the owner of said shoes before managing a weak smile.

"Hey," he said. "I'm back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no one likes you bahamut shut up you're not even a real dragon


	14. One Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I've been on vacation.

They told him that it was about two days. Two days that he was kidnapped by Ardyn and made a "guest" at Zegnautus Keep. A look at the date and time on his cellphone suggested they were right (not that they had any reason to lie to him), but Ignis found it hard to believe. During those two days, he had tried to call them, but the thick metal walls of the keep blocked any and all cell service.

It was two days of hell. Zegnautus Keep was like a maze, and even when he found a map, Ignis found that every exit was guarded by a swarm of daemons, far too many for him to fight. Not that they ever did attack him. The daemons of the keep merely watched him with hungry eyes, holding back only because Ardyn had ordered them to. That didn't stop them from hissing threateningly if Ignis got too close: a warning that there were limits to a daemon's sense of self control. Very, very, low limits.

Ignis was sure he had hallucinated more than once during those two days, but he wasn't sure exactly when he did or what he saw. He just knew that he got little sleep, haunted by the growling lullabies of daemons and Ardyn's voice occasionally whispering in his ear.

He wasn't sure exactly how he had found his way to the Emperor's throne room. He wasn't sure how he had gotten there with a dismembered magitek trooper's arm in his hand either. What he was sure of, however, was that his friends were coming to Gralea, coming to Zegnautus Keep. And when they arrived, Noctis, Gladiolus, and Prompto would be unable to fight or use magic. Not unless Ignis got into that throne room, where a large, complex machine sat. It was a loud machine that let off a dull hum. He could hear it from outside the throne room.

He hated how it sounded.

Once inside the throne room, Ignis ignored the ornate decorations. He ignored the grand sight of the Niflheim throne. He ignored the set of regal clothing that had been left haphazardly across its seat. He only focused on the machine for a few seconds before holding out a hand, feeling the spark of magic within it.

"My child," the sea called out to him. "You shouldn't. You need to save your strength."

But he ignored her and attacked the machine with every bit of magic he could scrape together.

* * *

It was cruel, Ignis thought, that mere hours after reuniting with Noctis that they would be separated once again, gone to a place that he could not follow. He didn't even have the energy to beg him to stay even though he knew that it would have been a futile effort. He could only watch as Gladiolus asked in his stead and feel a stab of pain in his chest as Noctis left them. As Noctis _chose_ to leave.

"When will he be back?" he heard Ravus ask.

"When he has finished his business with the Bladekeeper," Lunafreya answered. "It could be hours. It could be days. Or weeks, months, or even years."

As much as he didn't like the sound of days, weeks, or months, Ignis _really_ didn't want it to be years.

They decided to sit and wait for a couple hours and see if they would be lucky enough to get Noctis back in the shortest possible timeframe. Luck, of course, has not favored them very much throughout their journey. Aranea came by to chat, giving Prompto a light ruffle of the hair before sitting down and telling him that he had "nothing to worry about."

"And what do you mean by that?" Ignis asked.

"I mean I'm just sticking to friendly chatter and wit," Aranea answered. "Nothing else. No flirty stuff. You're off limits now." And she refused to explain what she meant, changing the subject and conversing until she decided could no longer stand being stuck in the Crystal's holding cell any longer, leaving them to bask quietly in the Crystal's glow.

"So," Prompto said, breaking the silence after who-knew-how-long. "I know I asked this like, a thousand times already, but, are you okay?"

And Ignis had answered like, a thousand times already that he was fine. Of course he wasn't, and everybody knew it. And he knew everybody knew it. The question wasn't really asking if he was alright or not. It was an invitation to drop the farce that wasn't fooling anybody.

"I," Ignis started, then paused to stare at the Crystal as if he were asking it for help. He knew he should find its soft glow hopeful and soothing, but at that moment, it seemed cold and uncaring. Of course, now that he did want to talk, he found himself struggling to vocalize himself.

"I know what he does," Prompto said once it became clear that Ignis was stuck. "He gets into your head. He finds the things buried in there that you didn't even know existed and drags them out. He uses them against you."

And Ignis felt ashamed, because Prompto went through worse. Prompto went through an existential crisis and was still struggling with it. Prompto's the one who truly suffered. Prompto had _real_ problems. Prompto had to deal with _real_ problems for his entire life. As for Ignis? "I always thought I had everything under control. That I'm strong and independant. That everyone can rely on me for everything they need. That is how I've lived my life for the past sixteen years."

Beside him, Prompto listened carefully, crossing his legs and leaning forward.

"I have a perfect life. I don't have to worry about any basic needs. I have the full confidence of the royal family despite no shortage of naysayers constantly whispering behind my back. I have worked with only the single mindset of making myself useful, loyal, and reliable, and yet, I have come to realize these past couple days that I'm not."

Ignis dared to look at Prompto to gauge his reaction. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see, but all he saw was a gentle neutrality, the face of someone who was listening and trying to understand.

"I don't know how you do it," Ignis continued. "Or, I don't know why it's so difficult for me."

"What's difficult?" Prompto asked.

Ignis thought that he would like to say that it wasn't something he could adequately put into words. That it was a concept that he couldn't describe. But that would be a lie and he knew it. And to lie about it to Prompto, the one who trusted him enough to share his own fears and vulnerabilities, would be a crime of the highest degree. No, he could not do that to Prompto. So instead, he took a deep breath and answered the question with no small amount of weakness obvious in his voice.

"Needing people."

There, he had said it. He had admitted aloud his largest and most glaring weakness, one that was likely the result of poor socialization skills and relative isolation. Sure, Ignis always knew what to say to people. He had been taught that with etiquette lessons that had been burned into his behavior by a very strict instructor. But one thing that studies could not teach was how to connect with people. They couldn't teach how to establish bonds that went beyond formalities and business. Ignis never learned how to make friends. Friends just happened to him, either through obligation like Noctis and Gladiolus or through association with obligation like Prompto. He couldn't remember the last time he had befriended someone naturally. If ever. Aranea was the closest thing he had to that and their first interaction was mutually trying to stab each other with lances.

He had always seen himself as self sufficient, but the truth was he wasn't and he cursed Ardyn for making him aware of it. Ignis braced himself for mockery, jeers, and disgust from someone who obviously had things much worse than he did. Someone who's always had the odds stacked against him from the moment of his birth.

Prompto looked away for a moment, then sighed, leaning forward and staring off into the distance, even though there was no distance to look into inside what amounted to a metal vault.

"It's hard," he said at last. "It's really, really, hard." A tiny smile crept onto Prompto's face, illuminated by the Crystal's light and giving him an almost ethereal appearance. "You spend so much time taking care of yourself because there's no one there to do it for you and just one day, you realize you can't do everything by yourself. You can't be alone forever. You can try, but it's not going to work out. We're not perfect. You're not perfect. And you shouldn't be." Prompto let out a contemplative hum before turning back to look at Ignis, examining him as if he were trying to figure something else. "But uh, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think it's just that. It's also the way you think and treat yourself. Like, I know because I do some of the same things too, so I guess because of that I can spot it easier in other people."

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Ignis replied, far too caught up in Prompto watching him to try to puzzle out the meaning of such vague words.

"What I mean is..." Prompto said with a frown before turning away. "I mean. Crap, how do I say this? Uh..." He paused to, what Ignis assumed was gather his thoughts or perhaps build up courage. Or more likely, both. When at last he was ready, Prompto continued. "It's okay to want things, Ignis."

Ignis clenched his fists.

"It's okay to want things not because it's what's best for Noct or Lucis or the world or whatever. It's okay to want things just because _you_ want them," Prompto said. "You want to know a secret? Lunafreya asked me to be Noct's friend when we were kids, but at the time, I thought that was an impossible task. But I told myself that I'd do it for her. I'd say, "Lady Lunafreya's counting on you, Prompto," and that kind of worked. For like a week." Prompto stopped to let out a little laugh. "But the truth is, it's really hard to stay motivated to do something just because someone you've never met and lives across the world wants you to, even if she is the Oracle. So I stopped trying for like, a month. I still went through the motions, but it felt hollow. But every day in class, I'd see Noct. I saw how he was always by himself, and how he was really awkward, but also nice to our classmates. I saw what a good person he was and thought it would be really cool to be his friend. And then I realized I wanted to be his friend. Not because Luna said I should be, but because I wanted it for myself. That's what really pushed me through. Uh, I don't know why I just said all that. And it probably wasn't helpful at all, but...yeah, I'll shut up now."

They stared at the Crystal in silence for a few seconds, and the longer they did, the less awe inspiring and magical it seemed.

"I appreciate you telling me," Ignis said. "I don't think I've ever told you, but, it's nice to hear you talk."

"Yeah?" Prompto chucked. "I gotta say, I don't hear that often."

"You're incredibly insightful," Ignis explained before adding: "When you want to be."

"Are you saying I was like, super wise and stuff? Did I sound like Ramuh? He really likes doing the sagely advice thing."

"Prompto," Ignis said. "I can't hear Ramuh."

They shared a laugh that ended with Prompto clearing his throat. "...I hope he comes back soon."

"I hope so too," Ignis agreed. "I need him."

He thought about adding something else to that statement, but decided against it.

* * *

Staying at the Crystal forever, unfortunately, was not a possibility. With the discovery that Ardyn was nowhere to be found and any daemons that were in Zegnautus Keep seemed to have abandoned the entire base, in all technicality, Lucis had conquered the Niflheim army and won the war. It was a far less inspiring moment than Ignis thought it would be.

Any remaining magitek troopers they could find were destroyed or deactivated, a grim task that brought no one any joy.

Least of all, Prompto.

"Are you alright?" Ignis asked.

"Yeah," Prompto said as he kicked a magitek trooper to the floor and shot it dead. "I'm fine."

Meanwhile, Aranea helped Lunafreya commandeer Niflheim's broadcast systems, the same ones that had been used to spread the word of Gralea's lockdown. It was high time to release the citizens of Niflheim from their emperor's oppressive grip.

"Citizens of Niflheim," Lunafreya said into a microphone. "I am Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, the Oracle. You may have heard that I was killed. This is untrue. I am alive and currently within Zegnautus Keep in Gralea. I am here to announce that the Niflheim Empire is no more. Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt has been deposed and that hostilities between Niflheim and the other nations of the world have officially come to an end. Tenebrae, Lucis, and Accordo all extend a hand of friendship to you and together, we can rebuild all of our countries."

Prompto looked up from the radio he was listening to and turned towards Ignis. "So uh, does Lady Luna have the authority to speak for the nations like that? Would Noct be okay with this? Did she run this by First Secretary Claustra and your sister?"

Ignis paused and thought about it for a moment. "I don't think Noct would be opposed to it and even if he was, I doubt he can say no to Lady Lunafreya. As for Tenebrae and Accordo...let's leave that to the ladies in charge to debate, why don't we?"

Prompto shuddered. "Yeah. Good idea."

Zegnautus Keep had few, if any windows, but it was impossible for them to ignore the other piece of major world news: it seemed as if the sun had disappeared entirely from the world. The unnatural shortening of the days had not gone unnoticed, but nobody had dared to think that there would eventually be no daylight to speak of. This was something Ignis figured he would have to discuss with Lunafreya later. Her insight as the Oracle would surely be helpful in deciding what to do next.

That would have to wait as "next" would take a backseat to "now." Niflheim needed leadership. They needed to figure out what to do with the Crystal. They had to wait for Noctis.

The last one was being well covered, at least. Gladiolus spent most of his free time near the Crystal, keeping watch over it. Everyone knew, however, that it wasn't about protecting the Crystal. It was about waiting for Noctis' return. Ignis supposed it was the natural thing for the King's Shield to do, but the realities and obligations of being the Shield were one thing that he knew he would never be able to understand. All he could do was try to help his friend however he could, which consisted of relaying news to Gladiolus and bringing him food.

"He's coming back," Gladiolus would sometimes say.

"I know," Ignis would always reply. He didn't doubt that Noctis would return, but as much as it pained him to do so, he could not just sit idle while waiting. With or without Noctis, the world continued to move, and Ignis understood that he could serve his absent prince better by keeping busy instead of doing nothing.

Two weeks had gone by since Noctis first entered the Crystal and Niflheim was beginning to cobble together something that resembled order. Instead of central leadership, the civilian leaders of every town, city, and village in the country would be responsible for caring for their respective areas. They would still be Niflheim in name, but until they could develop an entirely new system of government, a process that would realistically take several months at best and was far more likely to take longer, Niflheim would be a fractured country in need of the assistance of the other three nations.

A message arrived at Gralea, sent from Altissia. It was a letter from Cor saying he had crossed the ocean and stationed himself in Accordo's capital city. Now that Niflheim was no longer a threat, he was free to leave Lucis and meet up with friends and important figures alike so they could discuss important things such as the new political state of the world and this new, endless night they now found themselves in. First Secretary Claustra was hosting a meeting and representatives from all over the world were expected to attend. That would mean the leaders of Niflheim's largest cities, Vesta, regent of Tenebrae, and Noctis.

Well, it _would_ be Noctis. But he couldn't attend for obvious reasons, so someone else would have to go in his place.

Naturally, that someone would be Ignis.

"Can't Cor do it?" Prompto asked as he read the letter over Ignis' shoulder.

"He can," Ignis said. "But he doesn't know about what's happened to Noct, and there simply isn't any time to send a letter back as a reply."

"Can't we call him? Text him maybe?" Prompto was already reaching for his phone.

"The marshal has a somewhat poor record of checking his messages," Ignis sighed. "And I have a feeling that he would want to defer to me regardless."

"Guess he just doesn't want to step on any toes," Prompto said.

"More like he'd rather dodge the responsibility," Ignis pointed out dryly.

And that was how Ignis and Prompto found themselves on a train headed for Altissia, accompanied by Lunafreya and Aranea.

("Is it safe to leave Gladio with Ravus?" Prompto asked.

Ignis grit his teeth. "Not really, but we don't have a choice.")

* * *

Altissia at night was beautiful.

Altissia in eternal night was distressingly beautiful.

Ignis' memories of Altissia were like the opposite ends of a spectrum. They were equal parts happy and sad, filled with joy and despair. He remembered enjoying Altissian cuisine one day and probably dying the next. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to anticipate or dread returning to it.

In reality, what he felt was neither. The city of Altissia simply filled him with a sense of familiarity and ease. It felt like something similar to, but not quite, a home. There was something about it that was safe and inviting, and he suspected it was because this was Leviathan's sacred grounds. _His_ territory.

Cor was waiting for them at the train station, and Ignis was pleasantly surprised to see a face he recognized beside him.

"Tethys," he said, smiling and kneeling down to pet the young monster that had taken a liking to him. The sahagin leaned into his touch and let out a rumble that he would later insist was a purr. Standing back up, he stood up straight as he greeted Cor Leonis. "Marshal."

"Ignis," Cor said with a nod, and quite possibly mildly upset that he came second to a juvenile monster. "Where's Noctis?" It was difficult to explain to Cor that Noctis had been swallowed whole by the Crystal and they didn't know when it would spit him back out, but they managed it somehow.

The next several hours were a grueling gauntlet of meeting after meeting, with Ignis putting to use diplomatic and bureaucratic skills that he had not needed for several months and feeling rather rusty at it. Fortunately, things were relatively easy on him: everyone had the same basic goals in mind, namely the unification of the world and figuring out what to do with the new dangers presented by the night. Persistent night meant that daemons were free to roam without fear of the sun's rays burning them away like a holy fire. It was going to be a brand new state of things that even under the best circumstances, looked like it was going to be very difficult on the world and its inhabitants. Animals were going to die. People were going to die. The only thing they could do was try to reduce the casualties as much as possible.

Regardless, he had never felt the joy of freedom quite as keenly as he did when all of that was over with. Altissia had a strong, thriving night life, and although things had gotten more somber as they continued to recover from the Imperial assault on the city and the new eternal night, Altissians were nothing if not optimistic and welcoming. Since their departure, several restaurants have reopened with the same smiling staff looking to entice customers to come and sit down. Several shops had done the same, highlighting their wares in artfully arranged displays and lit with well placed lighting. A solo walk through Altissia's streets was just what he needed, and Ignis eventually found himself on the very edges of the city, overlooking the open water.

World crisis or no, life went on.

"They are a hardy bunch, aren't they?"

Ignis stiffened slightly before relaxing. It was that voice. That lovely, gentle, nagging voice that he hadn't heard much of in the past couple weeks.

"Yes, Leviathan," he answered. "It's inspiring. Their city was destroyed, and yet they simply work on rebuilding and maintaining the hospitable and cheerful culture they're famous for."

"They remind me of him," Leviathan said. "Hard working, yet full of life, kindness, and passion."

"Will you tell me about him?"

Leviathan paused, and in the silence, Ignis instead took in the sounds of the Altissian night and the gentle rolling of the waves.

"One day," Leviathan promised. "Not today, or tomorrow. But one day, when I am ready."

That was more than a satisfactory answer for him. It wasn't like he didn't understand her position. There was someone he knew that fit that description and if she had asked him about them, he wasn't quite ready to talk about it either.

"I'm...very proud of you," Leviathan continued, with none of the grace of a goddess. "I'm happy you accepted my covenant."

"I am as well," Ignis said, a smile creeping onto his face. "Prompto said you were very worried about me."

"I..." she started, then snorted. "Is there something wrong about worrying about your child?"

"No," Ignis laughed. "I'm simply happy to have family that cares."

"You would call me family even though I'm not your parent?"

"And I'm not your daughter."

"No," Leviathan agreed. "You're not. You are Ignis and I care for you all the same."

The water stirred and from the waves in a spray of ocean water sprung forth the Astral herself, reared back and risen to her full height before bending over to eye level. Nearby, all around them, Altissians gasped. They pointed and yelled out upon seeing their deity, who had previously destroyed their city, once again. But that wasn't the real Leviathan, the one they had grown to love and adore over centuries, that was a sea monster with unbearable anger and pain in her heart. This, Ignis could see, was the real Leviathan, the sea who had captured the hearts of humans eons ago, who so enraptured a people so completely they built their city in her honor and adorned it with her image. He stepped forward to close his eyes and press his forehead against her snout.

"Thank you," he whispered to her. "Thank you for loving me, Mother."

The sound of a cellphone's ringing cut through the air and Ignis pulled back, fumbling into his pockets for his phone while Leviathan watched, tilting her head in amusement. Finally finding it, without even looking at the name of the contact, he swiped the screen of his phone clumsily and lifted it to his ear.

"Gladio."

"Hey, Iggy," Gladiolus' voice said. "He's back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someday, "one day" will become "today."


	15. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lost half the chapter at one point.
> 
> I was sad.

A young man stood on the top of a steep cliff that led into a deep crater. In the center of that crater kneeled a god, a being in the shape of man who held a massive meteor on his shoulders, a chunk of rock from another world. Despite the young man's affinity for the earth, the meteor was something that was completely foreign, made of no stone that he was familiar with.

"Atlas."

The young man looked up, ever a dutiful servant of the god before him.

"Atlas, I can contain it no longer. One by one, fragments of evil will seep from this stone and attempt to spread across the world."

Readying his weapon, a large hammer made of metal and stone, Atlas replied, "Then I will crush them as they fall."

"I could not hold them off forever, and neither will you," his god warned.

"Then I will do it for as long as I can," his servant answered, as drops of blackness began to fall from the meteor. They crashed into the ground, splashing slightly before creatures of all shapes and sizes began to emerge from the inky ichor. "We are the guardians of the land and I'll gladly give my life to fulfill my duty."

Gladiolus groaned and opened his eyes, realizing belatedly that he had dozed off. A quick glance at the clock on his cellphone told him that he was out for an hour and a half, but that seemed like too much time. Stretching out his limbs and cricking his neck, he fought the urge to wince as the aches and pains of sleeping in uncomfortable places in uncomfortable positions began to make themselves known.

It's been approximately one month since Noctis went into the Crystal and two weeks since Ignis, Prompto, Lunafreya, and Aranea left for Altissia. Gladiolus has done many difficult things in his life: training Noctis, protecting Noctis with only the royal chamberlain and the prince's greenhorn best friend as backup, and undergoing Gilgamesh's trials, but somehow, simply sitting in front of the Crystal waiting for the return of his prince, was somehow the most difficult.

He had plenty of ways to keep himself out of the clutches of boredom. He had training regimens to keep up his physical prowess. He had a good supply of books, both his own and ones scavenged from around Zegnautus Keep to read. His phone was loaded with applications he could use to distract himself. Ordinary Niflheim citizens brought him food and news and company. Even Ravus dropped by a couple times a day to chat, even though it seemed as if there wasn't an inch of common ground between them.

"He still hasn't come out of there?" Ravus scoffed, crossing his arms and staring at the Crystal, annoyed. "What is taking him so long?"

"I'm sure he doesn't like being in there any more than you do," Gladiolus answered. "There probably isn't much in there. He gets bored easily."

"Of course he does."

Silence. The Crystal glowed apathetically. Gladiolus wished that High Commander Stick-Up-His-Ass would just buzz off already. And normally, he did. Ravus rarely bothered to give him the time of day and he usually just stopped by a couple times a day to make sure that Gladiolus was still alive and hadn't wasted away into a pile of skin and bones.

"I..." Ravus started, then frowned, looking as if he regretted opening his mouth, which, surely, must have been a first for him. "I wonder if things would have been different if my mother had someone like you around to protect her."

"No," Gladiolus replied with a shake of his head. "I can tell you right now that it wouldn't have, except to add one more dead person to the mix." His words were without hostility. He knew that Ravus was only grieving for his lost mother, even now twelve years after the fact. "Niflheim sent an entire army after her. One person wasn't going to turn the tide against them. My father was ten times the Shield I am now and the same thing happened to King Regis."

The mood in the vault became awkward as Gladiolus remembered that Ravus had been part of the cowardly backstabbing Niflheim did in order to capture Insomnia and secure the Crystal. It's only been a short time since that happened, and yet, that felt like a lifetime ago. Back when everything was good and the worst thing they had to worry about was Noctis spilling wine over his wedding outfit. It really wasn't fair how some things could change so much in the blink of an eye.

His father and his king died. His country fell. And now he's lost the one person he was supposed to protect at all times.

"One person alone can't change everything," he added.

"Then why is Noctis so special!?" Ravus hissed. "What makes him so... _chosen!?_ Why did Regis choose to save him and leave my mother to die!? Why did my people have to suffer for the sake of one boy!? Is it that damned prophecy? The will of the gods? Because he's doing _such a wonderful job_ of saving the world right now!"

In the past, Gladiolus would have gotten right into Ravus' face. Shouted him down, and probably get his ass kicked for it. But now, he wouldn't. Not everyone saw Noctis the way he did. There were people who valued others over him. And that was normal. Of course Ravus cared more about his mother and his sister and the citizens of Tenebrae over Noctis. They were his beloved family who he loved very much. No, Ravus wasn't wrong.

He was right. King Regis chose to take his son and flee, and abandoned an entire country full of people. He turned his back on countless people and families to save just one person.

"I don't think he chose Noct because he was special. I think he did it because he wanted to save his son," Gladiolus said at last. "You're right. It's not fair to you or your people. A lot of things happened that aren't fair."

Was it fair to the rest of Lucis when the Wall was reduced to just Insomnia, opening them up to falling prey to daemons and Niflheim forces? No. Was it fair to to the Altissians to awaken and anger their goddess and provoke Niflheim into attacking? No. Was it fair of Niflheim to offer peace and attack instead? No. Was it fair that the innocent citizens of Niflheim now had to deal with the aftermath of their oppressors' actions? No.

Nothing was fair. Everyone was in an unfair situation. Human, monster, Astral, they were all in a tight situation.

"Look," he continued. "I don't put much stock in prophecies. They're just that: prophecies. They're just predictions of the future. Not orders from the gods or whatever. They could come true, or not. If Noct decides he's going to save the world, he will. And if he doesn't, he won't. But he's important to me, so I'm going to protect and support him no matter what he does. Just like when he chose to go into that Crystal."

Ravus huffed in disdain, although it was unclear exactly what that disdain was aimed at. Perhaps it was nothing at all, considering that disdain was the man's default state of being. "Nobody told me you were smart."

Despite the obvious insult, Gladiolus laughed. "I read a lot."

"I was told you read nothing but cheap romance novels."

"An exaggeration," he protested, bending down to pick up a book off the floor and holding it out. "I read other stuff too." Ravus practically snatched the book out of his hand with his good arm and frowned upon seeing the title and author, clearly recognizing it. It was a book by one of the great philosophers of the past. "Although I do enjoy a good trashy fiction now and then too."

If Ravus had a reply for him, it never came as the thud of a heavy object hitting the metal walkway interrupted the conversation. Both men immediately and naturally turned their heads to the sound of the noise only to be greeted by the sight of a black, vaguely human shaped lump lying somewhat pathetically on the cold, dark metal.

Vaguely human shaped and pathetic as it may be, Gladiolus recognized it immediately. "Noct!" he yelled, closing the gap between them with seemingly impossible speed. Ravus was right behind him, standing there uselessly as he made it to his king's side.

Noctis opened his eyes, lifted his head and smiled, a tired grin that someone who could only have gone through an incredibly taxing ordeal could. "Hey," he said. "I'm back."

Then he put his head back down on the floor and passed out, immediately falling into sleep and snoring lightly.

"Hi to you too," Gladiolus chuckled as he used both arms to scoop Noctis off from the walkway. "Come on, let's find you a bed."

"Pathetic," Ravus commented behind him, but there was none of his usual bitter venom in the remark. It was light hearted and almost friendly. Maybe His Royal Pain-In-The-Rear wasn't so bad after all.

One of those budget, low quality army beds that could be found in Zegnautus Keep's barracks simply wasn't acceptable for the King of Lucis, who had just come back to this world from a month's absence, so out of the base they went, into the streets of Gralea. Since the fall of the Empire, the Niflheim capital was starting to look like an actual city again, with citizens out and about and going on with their daily lives. Watching them on their daily errands made Gladiolus realize that they were not unlike the citizens of Insomnia. They didn't have the flashy technological comforts of the Lucian capital, but they went to work, did their shopping, and socialized just like any other batch of city folk. The biggest difference was the fact that they had to shovel their streets and sidewalks free of snow on a fairly regular basis. Snow that Gladiolus has since made his peace with and compromised with. Compromised by wearing an actual shirt underneath his Crownsguard fatigues, that is.

Their destination was the small inn that they had stayed in when they first arrived in Gralea, the one run by the kindly older gentleman and his wife. By now, they were unable to hide their identities and the old man's reaction was simply to chuckle and shake his head with a reply that the had expected the heir to the Lucian throne to be a little bit taller and more well built, a sentiment that Gladiolus wholeheartedly agreed with.

A family owned inn was perhaps not the most typical of choices for royalty to rest in, but it beat the Niflheim barracks and it wasn't like Noctis hadn't spent months sleeping in caravans and cheap motels and in the back seat of the Regalia. Compared to all that, this bed with a real mattress, flannel sheets, quilted blankets, and feather down pillows was the pinnacle of luxury, second only to the accommodations of the Leville in Altissia.

"Of course the first thing you do when you get back is take a nap," Gladiolus chuckled as he pulled the blankets over Noctis' sleeping form before settling down into a nearby armchair to pull out his phone from one of his jacket pockets. One quick phone call to Ignis later, and he realized that he had ended one waiting game only to begin another. Things were looking up for this game, however, as he highly doubted, or at least hoped, that Noctis would only be out for a couple hours instead of a month. He still had books to read, and in this rented room, he also had access to both radio and television, so he knew he wouldn't be bored.

Niflheim entertainment programming was _super_ interesting. Their radio dramas in particular were captivating, albeit a little too heavy with the snow metaphors. Still, has Lucis ever made a radio drama about a buff woman whose sole quest in life was to wrestle every dangerous animal she met into submission? Absolutely not.

From the bed, Noctis stirred and rolled to the side, something he was going to consider a good thing. It was an extra reassurance that his king was going to be alright. He looked just like regular Noctis. Lazy, whiny, sleepy Noctis. The way he should be, a young man who was in that awkward transition from teenager to adult, still unsure of his place in the world and was probably going to awaken with an awful case of bedhead. Watching him sleep like that, Gladiolus, for the first time in a month, genuinely felt like everything was going to be alright.

Deciding to follow his king's lead and get some rest and relaxation, he leaned back in the armchair, practically sinking into its cushions before reaching over to the nearby table to pick up the television remote and lose himself in Niflheim shows. Niflheim was definitely behind Lucis when it came to entertainment technology: there was none of the sleek, flat screen large televisions that practically every Insomnian household possessed. Instead, these were screens about half the size, with curved screens and definitely lacking something in terms of picture quality, but they portrayed their images clear enough. If Prompto were here, he thought, then he would be able to tell him more about it. However, Prompto was not there, he had gone back to Altissia with Ignis to attend to something-or-other at Cor's request, a something-or-other that Gladiolus only sort of understood. He was the muscle and he preferred to keep out of political affairs as much as he possibly could. Sucked to be Ignis.

But on the other hand, when he wasn't busy doing diplomatic stuff, Ignis would get to enjoy a private Altissian getaway with Prompto. But on the other _other_ hand, they were Ignis and Prompto, a pair of absolute morons who probably had no idea they had a thing going on. You win some, you lose some.

Even if it wasn't an Altissian vacation, there were definitely worse ways to waste time than watching television in a cozy and comfortable rented room, so Gladiolus was going to be happy with what he had. Sprawling himself out in a decidedly manly way, he turned up the volume of the television and tuned out the world just enough to enjoy the shows, but not so much that he'd forget to check on Noctis every commercial break.

An hour and a half or, three episodes of Niflheim soap operas later, the bed rustled as Noctis returned from his trip to the land of sleep. He squirmed for a few seconds in bed, still half asleep, before sitting up, rubbed his partially opened eyes, and then slowly stretching out his arms until he went a little bit too far and pulled them back in, lest he hurt himself. His hair, which looked slightly unkempt even on good days, was an absolute mess. Noctis yawned in a distinctly unkingly manner before looking around the room.

"Morning,"

The television was turned off with a click of the remote. Still holding the device in his hands, Gladiolus crossed his arms. "Really? You decide to scram for a month and then pass out the moment you get back and that's all you have to say?"

"A month?" Noctis repeated, suddenly looking wide awake.

"Yeah, a month. You have any idea what you put us through?" Gladiolus asked. "I can't believe you did that. The sun's literally disappeared. Lady Lunafreya's doing her best to keep the whole world from falling into anarchy. Everyone's been hanging on by a thread." Getting up from his seat, he approached the bed slowly before poking at Noctis' shoulder roughly, causing the other man to tilt slightly to one side. "You have any idea what you deciding to buzz off the the Astral Realm or whatever it was did to us? We've been worried sick over you. Iggy and Prompto already have more than enough stress and anxiety in their lives without you disappearing for an unknown amount of time. Lunafreya might be the Oracle, but she needs you. And I've been stuck with only Ravus for company for _weeks._ "

Noctis stared at him, clearly overwhelmed by everything he's just been told. In fact, he looked like he was still trying to process the entire _gone for an entire month_ thing. "I'm...sorry?" he said after a delay, looking very confused, but also quite apologetic despite the fact that he didn't even know what he should be apologizing for.

Gladiolus rolled his eyes and leaned forward to trap him in a bear hug. "I'm not mad at you. Well, I am, but only a little. I'm just glad you're back."

He felt a hand pat his shoulder. "Me too, Gladio. Me too."

* * *

The train ride back to Altissia was actually, much to Gladiolus' surprise, enjoyable. Even with the perpetual night and the dangers it brought, the train was completely safe. Now that the Niflheim Empire was no more, there was no chance of an Imperial attack on the train and even before the day became a thing of the past, trains were already equipped with high intensity lights that warded off daemons. Even though the world was ending, somehow, things were happier and more lively than the last time they were on a train. It probably had something to do with not having to flee warzones.

"It's so good to be back," Noctis said as he stretched in his seat. "The Astral world? It's boring. Also, Bahamut is a dick."

Gladiolus' eyes wandered to Noctis' throat, where a thin line of dragon scales crossed it horizontally, a grim place for an Astral to mark his Astralbound. He listened to Nocits talk about Bahamut's utter contempt for humans and how he had to basically yell at the Draconian until he gave in.

"At least Ifrit and Leviathan had actual reasons to not like us," Noctis huffed, crossing his arms and pouting. "Bahamut's just a jerk. You guys took all the good Astrals and I'm stuck with him. I can't believe we made him our symbol and everything. You know what, Gladio? When this is all over, no more Bahamut on our crests and stuff. We're switching to something more respectable. Like chocobos."

"Chocobos," Gladiolus repeated, deadpan. "You want to change to, of all things, _chocobos._ "

" _Look_ ," Noctis said, trying to hide his embarrassment by curling up into a ball, knees tucked behind his arms. "I really miss Prompto okay?"

"We'll see him and Iggy in a couple days," Gladiolus promised. "It's just a couple of trains until we're back in Altissia."

"Altissia," Noctis said, releasing his legs and turning to stare out the window. "Feels like forever since we've been there."

"Heard it's doing pretty good despite getting trashed," Gladiolus said, taking out his phone and flipping through the photo album. "Prompto sent me some pics, wanna see?"

"Only if there's something in it besides him sucking Ignis' face," Noctis replied, but he was already reaching for the phone, taking it in both hands and carefully flipping through them. There were no pictures of makeouts, some pictures of Ignis, and a few selfies as well as selfies _with_ Ignis, but every picture did contain images of Altissia in its current state. "Huh, looks a lot better than I though it would. They made a lot of progress in one month."

It was because Altissia had unofficially become the hub for the entire world. With Lucis and Niflheim still picking up the pieces from the war and Tenebrae still trying to find its footing after liberation, Accordo was now the most stable country on the planet. It had solid, experienced leadership and the essential services up and running. Lestallum was apparently also doing pretty well from what Gladiolus had heard.

Noctis passed the phone back and yawned, mumbling something about how he was going to sleep to pass the time, falling asleep within moments. Grabbing a nearby blanket, Gladiolus draped it over Noctis' body before deciding that maybe he should do the same.

His sleep's been so much better now that Noctis was back.

* * *

The trains pulled into Altissia right on time and Gladiolus and Noctis found themselves greeted at the station by Ignis and Prompto, both of which immediately went straight for Noctis, giving him hugs and words of relief. After they had gotten their share of hugs, they stepped aside for one more person to take her turn: the Oracle herself.

Noctis and Lunafreya spent a moment just staring at each other, as if each couldn't believe that the other was standing there in front of them, but Lunafreya broke their trance, stepping forward to throw her arms around Noctis' neck and pressed her face into his chest. With a smile that was clearly only ever reserved for her, Noctis hugged her back and Gladiolus physically swallowed his jealousy.

When they pulled apart, Noctis seemed to suddenly realize he had no idea what he was supposed to do or so. He stammered over his words at first, getting out half greetings before cutting himself off. This went on for a few seconds before he finally settled on, "So uh, what are we supposed to do now?"

"Well," Lunafreya started, and then she paused, furrowing her brows in thought. "Well," she repeated, then looked down at the ground. "I don't know."

Prompto nodded in understanding before stopping abruptly. "Wait. You don't know," he said, eyes darting around to look at everybody present. "She doesn't know. Lady Lunafreya, the Oracle. Doesn't know how what we should do." Tapping his foot nervously, he continued. "Am I the only one who sees a problem with this?"

"No," Ignis agreed. "You are not."

"It's alright, Prompto," Noctis said, holding his hands up in a feeble attempt prevent his friend from worrying himself into a fit. "It's alright. We don't know now, but that doesn't mean we won't know later. We just have to...figure it out. Like we always do." It seemed to work and Prompto took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "For now, why don't we just relax a little? We don't have to fix everything today or tomorrow, and maybe a little bit of downtime will clear our heads enough until we can come up with a plan."

Ignis chuckled. "Is that so, Your Highness, or are you just looking for an excuse to goof off and take naps?"

"I'm serious!" Noctis insisted, but his face was flushed slightly red with embarrassment.

"Noct," Ignis said. "I think it's a wonderful idea. You don't need to come up with an excuse."

The way Noctis' face lit up was priceless.


	16. Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops i disappeared for a month

When they first arrived in Altissia months ago, Prompto thought that he'd like to stay there longer. Little did he know that he'd be getting his wish. It was just too bad that it wasn't under better circumstances. He tried to think of the upsides, like how now he could see Altissia's beautiful illumination all the time instead of half of the time. The people were beginning to reclaim their upbeat and cheerful natures, going about their business as if there was nothing wrong with the world. It was actually pretty inspiring to see. It's been doing good things for his mood, if nothing else.

Aside from the minor hiccup of the world going into a permanent state of night and daemons being given free reign of any area that wasn't protected by extremely bright floodlights, basically any place not near a major population center, things were looking up. Most importantly, Noctis was back, and after a month of not seeing him, it was a huge relief. After an intense, tearful reunion, it was almost as if Noctis had never left. Everyone fell back into their usual routines immediately. Jokes were made, games of Justice Monsters V played, and friendly rivalries rekindled.

It was like they were finally getting the Altissian vacation they were denied the first time around and Prompto couldn't help but feel guilty for enjoying it when the entire world was in a crisis around them. He'd spend his waking hours having a good time with his friends then come back and be hit with the sudden realization that while he was having fun, there were probably dozens of people around the world getting slaughtered by daemons at the same time. Dozens. Maybe more. It was impossible to tell, especially when it came to the people who lived outside of the major cities and towns. How were the farmers doing? The hunters? The travelers who were unlucky enough to be far away from civilization when the Starscourge took the world by storm?

"You should not feel guilty," he heard Ramuh say. "You are not responsible for the state this world is in, nor are you responsible for the lives of every single soul on the planet."

"But-!" Prompto protested. "I'm a hunter! I'm a Crownsguard! I'm an _Astralbound!_ Shouldn't I be protecting people?"

"You are," Ramuh replied. "But you cannot save everybody. If I, a so-called god, cannot do it, one can hardly expect you, a mortal with only a fraction of the power I possess, to. And there is no shame in finding reasons to smile at times like these."

"It's just-" Prompto started, but Ramuh interrupted him.

"I understand. It is your kind nature that makes you wish sincerely that you could do something to save all. That is what led Bellerophon to his doom. His research into the Starscourge was motivated by an intense desire to save the world from it."

Prompto looked down at his hands, as if he expected them to turn black with daemonic corruption at any moment. "So he wasn't like... _him?_ "

"Nothing like him," Ramuh confirmed. "And even if he was, that has no bearing on you."

Relief flooded into Prompto as if he had just taken a sip of ice cold water on a sweltering hot day in Lestallum. He had been reassured before that his past self had no effect on his current one, but it was still comforting to know that Bellerophon was actually a pretty decent guy. Maybe a bit short sighted and too curious for his own good, but decent. He still felt guilty about having a relatively easy time in beautiful Altissia compared to much of the rest of the world, but at least he had this.

Since Noctis declared a break in which everyone could rest and recharge, Prompto found himself confronted with no shortage of things to do. Things that he never had the time or opportunity to enjoy back when the Niflheim Empire was breathing down everyone's necks. It was nice to be able to catch up with his Altissian friends, the ones he made back when he was teaching groups of untrained civilians to fire guns. In a short amount of time, he could tell they had changed. Gone were their unsteady grips and wandering eyes, replaced by ironclad confidence and focused vision. Such a change would be unheard of only a short time ago, but the coming of the unyielding night was a forge that molded people into fighters faster than any Crownsguard training program could ever hope to achieve.

But that was something he could worry about later, because right now, he had another problem that immediately needed addressing. Prompto's wanderings about Altissia had finally led him to a specific place, the Altissian Public Library. He stared up at the beautiful carved stone that rested proudly above a row of heavy glass doors before reaching out to put his hand on one and pull it open before heading inside.

Altissia's library was in reasonably good shape. It had been fortunate enough to be in a part of the city that suffered comparatively little damage during both the Imperial attack and Leviathan's rampage. Some windows had been broken and unfortunately, water damage was unavoidable, but considering the circumstances, things could have been much worse. The majority of the library's vast collection of books had made it through the ordeal safely and the lost books would be easily replaced. Prompto made his way through the halls, looking down every single aisle of books clearly searching for something until he found it seated at a reading table flanked by two small piles of books.

"We're supposed to be on break," Prompto said, crossing his arms and giving Ignis the most stern stare he could muster. He hoped it was sufficient, but it probably wasn't. He knew he wasn't intimidating in the best of circumstances and in the face as someone as strong willed as Ignis Scientia, he had no chance in hell. Still, it was worth a try.

To his surprise, however, Ignis was the first to break eye contact, eyes drifting to the side. "I can spend my breaks however I want, thank you very much."

"No, that's not how it works," Prompto huffed. "Noct specifically said that we're taking a couple weeks to relax and recover and not even think about Ardyn and here you are in the Altissian library surrounded by at least fifteen books about daemons. And I know reading about daemons isn't your idea of fun. You know how weird I probably looked asking everyone in town if they've seen you?"

"You were looking for me?" Ignis asked, turning back towards him and seemingly taking the entirely wrong thing from the conversation.

"Yeah," Prompto answered. "I was going to ask if you wanted to go out for coffee, because I heard Altissian coffee is amazing, like mind blowingly awesome and you love coffee, but _clearly_ you _don't_ , so-"

"Yes," Ignis said, shutting the book that was lying open in front of him and standing up. "I would love to go get coffee with you."

"Nice," Prompto said, giving Ignis a genuine smile. "Come on, I found this tiny place by the main canal and it looks awesome." The smile quickly disappeared, replaced by a frown. "I'm still telling Noct you disobeyed him though."

"Don't you dare!"

"Sorry!" Prompto teased, trying once again to look tough. Somehow, it seemed to work this time around. Perhaps the invocation of Noctis' illustrious name was all he needed to gain the upper hand in this situation. Useful information to know. "But I'm sworn to be loyal to the king. Don't worry, I'll try to talk him out of a treason charge."

"And what of all the times you did exactly what he told you not to do simply to annoy him?" Ignis asked, but Prompto was already leading the way out of the library.

* * *

Of all the things Prompto was prepared for in his life, Altissian coffee wasn't one of them. It came in tiny cups that looked like they were made for a child's hands and that they should be featured in a little girl's make believe tea party. One sip, however, proved that this was a drink not made for unprepared taste buds. It was strong, something like drinking a strong alcoholic drink, but without a mild urge to hurl it back up. Prompto coughed and thumped his chest to Ignis' amusement, then did his best to look unphased. "So," he said, "what were you hoping to find out anyway?"

Ignis placed his tiny coffee cup onto its saucer on the table. "I was hoping that they might contain information about the scourge and how to deal with it now that it's overtaken the world."

"I don't know," Prompto said, eyeing his coffee as if he were now extremely wary of it. "If it was something you could just look up in a book, don't you think someone would have already found it by now. The Starscourge has been around for what, a thousand years?" Longer? He thought it was something like that. Probably give or take a couple hundred years.

Ignis didn't respond for a few seconds, the kind of pause that Prompto had by now learned, after months of close proximity to him, meant that Ignis didn't want to admit that he was wrong and Prompto was right. "I thought it would be worth a look. There was valuable information of all known daemon species, at any rate."

Feeling brave, Prompto drank another modest sip of coffee and this time, it didn't hit him as hard. "Maybe we could try asking the Astrals?"

"We had a plan," Ramuh answered, causing Prompto to nearly drop his cup. "It was for the Lucian royal family to slowly strenghten their bloodline's power over the generations until the day it would finally be strong enough to eradicate the Starscourge. Meanwhile, the Oracle's bloodline was meant to stall for time by slowing the progression of the disease via cleansing whatever they could and remain a beacon of hope for all of humanity. However, we underestimated the rate at which the scourge would progress and the fact that the Accursed has a covenant with Ifrit means that plan is no longer possible. It can be safely said that the power of kings pales in comparison to him now."

"Oh, so that plan's shot," Prompto said, and Ignis apparently didn't need to have it explained to him. He downed the rest of his coffee in a single gulp and instantly regretted that decision. "Well, I have no ideas. And we're not supposed to be thinking about this kind of stuff right now anyway."

Ignis reached down for his coffee. "I'll be sure to inform His Highness of your betrayal."

"Hey!"

After their coffee date, they met up with the rest of their friends to enjoy dinner at Maagho. In between seafood pasta and ludicrously expensive fish eggs, Noctis played with his food, using his fork to push it around the plate a few times before finally scooping it up to eat it.

"What's wrong, Noctis?" Lunafreya asked, watching him curiously.

"I think," Noctis said, putting down his utensil. "I think it's time to take Insomnia back."

Although there other patrons of the restaurant all having their normal dinner conversations, somehow, to Prompto, the entire world suddenly became quiet, the outside voices muffled.

"You serious?" Gladiolus asked, his own fork hovering halfway between his plate and his mouth. "Noct, I know how you feel, but what if Ardyn's there? We can't kill him."

"I know that!" Noctis snapped, then sighed. "Look, we don't have to kill him. We just need to drive him and the daemons out, right?"

"We have no idea how strong he really is," Gladiolus pointed out. "He's just been playing with us all this time. He could kill us."

Noctis frowned. "And sitting here doing nothing is any better? Is this how we're going to live the rest of our lives? Pretending that everything is fine? That this is okay?"

Ignis put down his knife and fork. "Noct-"

But Noctis didn't stop. He continued. "Just hang our heads low and let the world be covered in darkness forever? Where everyone everywhere is too scared to look at the world around them?" And as if to prove his point, Noctis slammed a fist onto the table, causing everything to shake and the sound of fine dinnerware clattering against the aged wooden surface to pierce Prompto's ears. "I'd rather die trying to make things right than live like a coward."

Silence reigned over their table for a few moments, with nobody having any idea of what to say. From the look on Gladiolus and Ignis' faces, it was clear that they weren't happy with this decision, but they also knew that neither of them really had the authority to override it. And perhaps, Prompto thought, as he stared at his half finished glass of water, perhaps they knew that Noctis was right. They would have to confront Ardyn eventually, and that there was no "safe" way to do it. To try to take back Insomnia was a feat far too dangerous for Gladiolus' liking, and the fact that they have to do it with comparatively little knowledge of what they were up against didn't sit well with Ignis.

"I guess being able to sleep in warm, soft beds every night was too good to be true," Prompto said with an exaggerated sigh. It was a shame, too. He had enjoyed their nearly two months of relative comfort. Altissians really knew how to live. "I mean, what I'm saying is, Noct, if you think it's time to go back home, I'm behind you one hundred percent."

The few seconds of silence that followed were deafening. They seemed to last forever. But once they had passed, Noctis' fist unclenched and he sat back in his seat, giving Prompto a smile. "Thanks," he said. "It means a lot to me to know that."

"Heh," Prompto chuckled weakly, feeling as if all the energy had been drained from his body. "Anytime."

* * *

The next week was spent trying to plan for an assault on Insomnia, something that proved difficult when there was little to no information to work off of. The only thing they could assume would be that the once grand capital of Lucis would be swarming with daemons, and Ardyn was probably, maybe, most likely there.

Everyone was gathered around a large, ornate table within First Secretary Claustra's estate, a detailed map of Insomnia spread out before them. There were handwritten notes written all over it in a variety of colors and with several distinct types of handwriting. They marked important things such as strategic locations within the city and the quickest routes to and from those objectives.

"The only way to drive the daemons out permanently," Cor said as he picked up a red pencil and circled a building on one of the far sides of the map. "Is to get to the power plant and activate the floodlights." Like Lestallum, Insomnia had its own facility for generating power. Insomnia, with both its size and advanced technology, consumed more power than any other city on the planet and utilized every method of energy generation it could from solar to wind to the tides. Lestallum even sent over a chunk of the meteor, which helped immensely.

The problem, of course, was obvious. There were few ways into Insomnia. The Wall didn't refer just to the magical barrier that the royal family kept erected around the sky, but the physical walls that surrounded the city. The most obvious way was the typical way that people entered and left it: across the suspension bridge through the single gated checkpoint. It was the only way for automobiles to enter the city and because of it, there was often a line of cars and trucks waiting to get in and out of the city. Or at least, that's how it was in the past. In the present, there was probably still a line, but of old, abandoned vehicles that were probably stained with rust all over their bodies.

Fortunately, it wasn't the only way. There were a number of smaller, well hidden entrances meant for use by maintenance crews in order to keep the walls structually sound and ensure that other equipment like security cameras and alarms were in working order.

"Do you think Ardyn's kept the security systems going?" Gladiolus asked.

"It's likely," Cor replied. "Either way, we should operate under the assumption that it's still functioning and in use. It was not too long ago that Niflheim occupied the city, and they most certainly made good use of the systems we had in place." Still, using one of the maintenance doors to gain entry was probably a better bet than the front gate of the city, which was the most heavily watched area of all.

"What about the docks?" Noctis asked as he pointed to a specific area on the map, on the eastern shore where the land and sea met. "We could take the boat in and enter the city from there."

"Doable," Cor replied. "But we run into a similar problem. As one of the entry ports to the city, it's well monitored by our systems."

Noctis muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "damn our technology" to Prompto. At that point, Prompto was starting to wonder whether it mattered what route they took into the city. No matter what they chose, it seemed like they were going to get spotted right away. In that case, it made the most sense to choose whatever entrance offered them the most direct route to the power plant, right?

Before he could make the suggestion, however, the conversation in the room was interrupted by a rather loud cough. At once, everyone turned their heads to the far side of the room where Aranea Highwind leaned, arms crossed, against the wall and had been quietly listening to everything up until now.

"I guess you've all forgotten," she said with a lazy smile. "that I have my very own personal dropship that can take us directly to the power facility."

From the complete lack of reply from anyone, it was very clear: yes. They had forgotten. Every single one of them.

Cor coughed. "Right then. I suppose we have our way in."

A couple hours later, they had a plan finalized and all that was left was to prepare for the journey. It would take them a while to gather all of the supplies they needed for the assault: food, curatives, weapons, enough magical energy to fill over a dozen magic flasks, and more. Since the arrival of the endless night, resources were less easy to come by, and there was little that the Altissian government could spare. Aranea took Biggs, Wedge, Noctis, Gladiolus, and the Nox Fleuret siblings into her dropship to make stops at Tenebrae and various cities in Niflheim to see if they could round up anything else. Cor started up King Regis' boat to make a trip back to Cape Caem to see if anyone there and in other locations in Lucis had anything they could give.

Which left Prompto and Ignis to remain in Altissia and see what they could buy or barter from the Altissian people.

"You sure you don't want me to go with you?" Prompto asked Gladiolus as he prepared to board Aranea's dropship with a small bag of personal belongings slung over one shoulder.

"Sure am," Gladiolus said. "We need people to stay here. Noct, Ravus, and Lunafreya need to come with if we're going to get any help from Tenebrae and Niflheim, and if Noct goes, I have to go. We all know Cor works best alone, so he can handle going back to Lucis himself. That leaves you and Iggy." And with a lopsided grin, the brute of a man gave Prompto a friendly nudge with an elbow. "Just you two. Get my drift?"

The only thing Prompto could do was stare at him with a completely bewildered look on his face. "Uh, what drift?"

"It'll just be you two," Gladiolus repeated, grin growing wider. "No distractions, no Noct to barge in and ruin things at the last moment. Now's the perfect time to make your move."

Connecting the dots, Prompto's eyes widened for a second before he had both hands on Gladiolus' back and pushing him towards the dropship. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be enough to move the man, but Gladiolus humored him, letting himself be shoved along. "You know what?" Prompto said. "I changed my mind. I'm glad I'm staying here if it means you won't be here to make fun of me." With one last burst of strength, he pushed Gladiolus up the loading ramp and into the dropship proper. "Have a nice trip. Take your time. There's no hurry."

As soon as Prompto made it back to solid ground, the dropship roared to life, the ramp retracting as the ship's doors began to close and the dropship itself beginning to rise. Gladiolus was _still_ there, _still_ grinning, and looking down at Prompto giving him a thumbs up.

"I'm rootin' for ya, little guy!"

Prompto almost gave him an obscene gesture, but decided against it lest Gladiolus decide to pry the doors back open with his bare hands and jump back down to ground level to give him a beating before leaping back up to the dropship. Instead, Prompto just settled for shooting him a glare.

"What was all that about?"

Prompto nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around to face Ignis. Right. Ignis was here to see them off too. Luckily, it seemed like he hadn't heard the conversation between Prompto and Gladiolus.

"Just Gladio being Gladio," Prompto answered with a laugh that he knew sounded forced. "So uh, it's just you and me then?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he was silently berating himself. He was letting Gladiolus get to him. "Why don't we get to work? The sooner we get things done, the more time we'll have to relax while we wait for everyone else to get back."

"Excellent idea," Ignis said, and before Prompto knew it, they were off, walking through the streets of Altissia towards the markets. The post-sun economy wasn't what Prompto expected it to be. Things hadn't descended into complete chaos and ruthlessness. Gil still held its value. It wasn't at all like the post-apocalyptic movies and video games. Probably because society hadn't crumbled. Accordo and Tenebrae's national governments still stood. Local town and city leaders retained their power. And with that power, they were able to prevent the people from panicking or rioting.

Once again, he could do little but marvel how normal life continued to be after the end of the world as he watched Ignis negotiate with a shopkeeper to buy several phoenix downs. Sure, prices had gone up due to supplies not being as readily available as they were before, but much everything was the same.

"Prompto," Ignis said an hour later as they headed back to the Leville with both arms full of their purchases. "This is going to be the first time we'll be encountering enemies since Gralea. When we go to Insomnia, there won't just be daemons there."

There was no need to ask what Ignis meant. Prompto knew exactly what he was referring to. Magitek troopers, or Ardyn's version of them. Twisted mockeries of what were already twisted mockeries of humankind, made of a hellish combination of daemons and humans stuffed into a metallic shell.

"Are you going to be alright?" Ignis asked. "I know it's...not easy for you."

"Honestly? I have no idea," Prompto replied. "I don't know if I'm going to run and hide or just kill them dead. Or if I'm just going to grab my head and scream until I'm a sobbing mess on the floor."

"I'm sorry I can't be of much help," Ignis replied as they ascended the stairs towards their hotel room. "I'm afraid I'm rather useless."

Prompto moved the bag in his right hand to his left one as he searched his pockets for the room key. "Don't be," he said, patting his vest. "Actually, talking to you helps. A lot." His hand went to his pants, finally finding the key in one of his back pockets. "I mean, I don't expect you to fix me or anything." Holding the keycard to the knob, he waited for the click before turning the knob and pushing the door open. "I'm broken and I know it."

The two of them entered the suite, carefully setting their purchases on the table. Once satisfied that the bags weren't going to fall over, leaving the contents to roll out and drop onto the floor, Prompto sat down on the edge of one of the beds before flopping backwards, arms spread wide open in the shape of a t before continuing.

"I'm a test tube baby born in a lab that was supposed to get all kinds of demon poison injected into my body so I could become a disposable soldier. I just happened to get lucky when Lucis stole me away and gave me to a nice couple to raise. Then I just sort of bumbled my way into being the Crown Prince's best friend and somehow made into the Crownsguard and as a part of his personal retuine. I'm all kinds of messed up, Ignis."

Beside him, the bed creaked and he leaned up just enough to see Ignis sitting there, staring absentmindedly at the wall across from them.

"I am someone who has never fit in," Ignis said. "in a world as divided by nationality as ours, I was always too Lucian to be Tenebraean, and given away by my family to live across the world in a country I knew nothing about at the age of six. And then there, I was too Tenebraean to be Lucian. Every day, I had to prove myself constantly to people who never intended to accept me and I've never had any friends that weren't Noct or Gladio, and later, you. And at Gralea- no. Never mind. What I'm trying to say is that I, too, am broken and messed up."

Prompto sat back up, eyes fixed on Ignis, trying to figure out what he should say to that. He ran his hands over the soft, luxurious fabric of the bed's blankets in deep thought, searching himself for an answer. When at last, he found it, he gathered up his courage and then-

"Also," Ignis continued, interrupting his train of thought. "The only living family I have left is my bully of an older sister and my mother of a past life time, who just so happens to be an ageless sea serpent and the embodiment of water itself."

Prompto laughed. Somehow, hearing that last part made it easier for him to say what he wanted. "Yeah, we're both messed up." Taking a chance, he leaned to the side onto Ignis' shoulder, holding his breath upon feeling him tense up, then letting it out as Ignis slowly relaxed. "But, you know, I don't know about you but, when we talk and spend time together and stuff, I feel like...hey, it's not so bad being broken. With you."

He felt Ignis take a deep breath. "Yes," he agreed. "It's not bad at all. I enjoy the time we spend together, and I'd like to spend more time with you. That is..."

Prompto pulled and stared, waiting for Ignis to finish that last sentence. The other man seemed to hesitate at first, and for a moment, Prompto worried that the rest of the words would go unsaid. But fortune was kind to him as Ignis steeled himself and kept going.

"I like you, Prompto. And I'd like to be more than friends. I'm yours, if you'll have me."

With a smile, Prompto reached out to take hold of Ignis' arm and pull him close. "I'd like that."

* * *

Hours later, with Ignis sleeping soundly in the next bed over, Prompto looked up to the ceiling and asked a question.

"Hey, Ramuh?"

"Yes, Prompto?" the Astral replied.

"So, like, on a scale of one to ten, with one being "great idea Prompto, nice job" and ten being "Prompto, you have just guaranteed your swift and early death," how bad of an idea is it to date Leviathan's kid?"

"That," answered Ramuh, "is one of the great unanswered questions of the universe. Tiresias died young, before she could find love and Leviathan has slept through all of her daughter's reincarnations until now, so we can only speculate. If I were to guess, I would put it at a seven. As long as you do not upset Tidemother, you should be safe."

Not upset the Tidemother, the Astral best known for her watery wrath and her ability to hold grudges for thousands of years. Not upset the Tidemother, who is overprotective of her child. Not upset the Tidemother, who hated the human race for thousands of years because some asshole humans murdered her child in a most gruesome way.

"That's actually better than I was expecting," Prompto said, then turned over to get into a more comfortable position for sleep.


End file.
